Enigma
by HellonHeels44
Summary: Sharon and Andrea's relationship has been balanced on the precipice of friendship and something more for longer than either of them care to admit. Will the ever-present danger of their jobs finally push them over that fine line? Or will it pull them apart? Starts out in season seven TC, and follows the events of MC. Cowritten with the ever fabulous DefyingNormalcy.
1. Chapter 1

Andrea watched Sharon as she gushed about their upcoming Friday night trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art. "They're putting on an exhibit of Sally Mann's photographs. Sally Mann is one of my favourites," Sharon grinned from ear to ear, squeezing one of Andrea's hands between her own. Andrea could not stop the pleasurable tingling that spread across her hand, up her arm, and throughout the rest of her body. Lately, she got goosebumps anytime Sharon grasped her hand, or hugged her hello, or looked at her for just a little too long.

"Have you ever seen her work? I believe the exhibit will feature some of the photographs from her Body Farm series. Oh, they're so amazing. The composition is just so... so.. "

Andrea was torn between trying to listen to Sharon and trying not to concentrate on her hand now sandwiched between Sharon's own hands, resting on her inner thigh. She and Sharon had always been tactile with one another, but lately it had seemed like they touched every chance they could. "Umn, I'm sorry Sharon, did you say Body Farm series? Like, human bodies? Perhaps the word you're looking for is _haunting_? Or...morbid, perhaps?"

Sharon blinked at Andrea for a moment, then bent over, laughing. Andrea had to close her eyes as she felt the top of her hand pushed into Sharon's breasts while the older woman folded herself over her own legs. Why did she have to do things like that? After a moment, Sharon sat up and released Andrea's hand from it's captivity so she could wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"I forget sometimes you aren't a cop, and thus aren't as naturally morbid as me. Yes, Sally Mann took a series of photographs at The Body Farm in Tennessee. It's an interesting place, and they're really quite beautiful and technical renderings of the human form. When they're juxtaposed with her photographs of living people, especially the ones of her children, in one exhibit, it can be quite the statement on human existence and the frailty of what we are. We go from such radiance and vitality to piles of waste and decay very quickly, really. It's really worth seeing."

Andrea chuckled. "Whatever you say. I picked the jazz festival last time, so it's only fair that I let you pick this...thing, this time."

"But I enjoy jazz," Sharon said, suddenly doubting their plans, "I want you to enjoy this too, I can pick something else-"

"No, Sharon, it's fine," Andrea reassured her. "I'm just teasing. I've been in many morgues myself," she said dryly. "It sounds really interesting. And besides, you're so excited to see it, I want to go just to see the look on your face. I love how your eyes are all lit up even now, just talking about it." Sharon blushed deeply and Andrea realized how unintentionally intimate her word choice had been. "I mean, you're like a kid in a toy store right now," she joked clumsily.

Sharon plucked at the throw pillow next to her, focusing her eyes on the rich colours of the floral fabric, rather than the piercing blue of Andrea's eyes. "There's a great little bistro nearby as well. Even if you totally hate the exhibit, I promise that you'll enjoy dinner after."

"Sounds good," Andrea chuckled. A quick look at her watch told her that it was time to call it a night. "I really should be going Sharon," Andrea sighed as she sipped the last drops of her cappuccino. "Thank you for dinner, it was delicious." It was well past midnight at this point, and while the dinner and company had been fabulous as always, there was the small matter of both women needing to be at work tomorrow morning.

Sharon waved Andrea's comment aside. "It was nothing. I had been dying to try that recipe for weeks now, so thank you for being my guinea pig," she joked.

It was late, and the logical part of her brain told her that it was time for Andrea to go home, but part of her couldn't help but feel disappointed every time her friend left. Sharon found herself wishing this evening, like she had so many other times, that she could somehow persuade Andrea to stay here with her. What she would give to be able to stay up all night talking to Andrea; what she would give to fall asleep to the sound of Andrea's soothing voice. They were friends, Sharon kept telling herself over and over again, good friends, great friends; it was natural for Sharon to love being in Andrea's company.

It had been like this for longer than Sharon cared to admit. Friendly dinners and nights in that somehow always ended up feeling a little more than friendly. Lingering looks between them that she couldn't quite interpret. And god help her if Andrea wore a skirt to work, or discarded her blazer while they were working in her office on a case. The sight of Andrea's bare skin caused a heavy, heated knot to assert itself low in Sharon's belly. She always thought it had been one sided, but watching Andrea curl up so close to her, bare foot, snug jeans, dangerously exposed chest, had caused her mind to...wander into the frightening realm of _what if_?

Tonight, Andrea had sat close to Sharon like she normally did, but she had touched her just a little bit more when she was talking, had laughed just a little bit harder when they joked. Sharon had been utterly hypnotized by the blonde this evening. Andrea had worn a pair of snug jeans and a casual button down top; Sharon couldn't stop staring at her even if she wanted to. There was something about the way those jeans had been clinging to her hips, the unbuttoned portion of her shirt, the added allure of her bare feet, that had been driving Sharon slowly and steadily mad all evening.

"I'll be your guinea pig any time, as long as you're making food like that," Andrea laughed as she patted Sharon's thigh. "Next time you make chicken and quinoa, make sure you have some leftover for me?" she teased. Goodbyes were always slightly awkward for Andrea. It was always her least favourite part of the evening, but a part of her always felt relieved once she left Sharon's condo. There was always...something that lingered between them that made Andrea so self-conscious and light-headed.

Sharon ran her hand over Andrea's; the same hand that was still resting on her inner thigh, and she smiled at the younger blonde woman. "How about I just make you my guest again next time I make it?" Sharon squeezed her hand lightly before they both stood up to make their way through her living room and dining room to the front door. Sharon handed Andrea her purse and as she accepted it, Sharon's fingers brushed against hers. A shiver ran up and down Andrea's spine spine.

"Thanks again for coming." Sharon beamed at Andrea as she pulled the front door open to let her guest out. The two women moved together and Andrea caught Sharon's waist with one hand, pulling her into an embrace close enough that she could kiss her cheek. The feeling of Andrea's hand on her hip sent shockwaves through Sharon's body. She locked her knees to stay upright as she returned Andrea's friendly kiss. _It was only friendly_, she had to keep reminding herself of that. Why did she have to keep reminding herself of that?

"I wouldn't miss our weekly dinner," Andrea chided jokingly, squeezing the delicate skin on Sharon's hip, sending another delightful, torturous shiver through her body.

Sharon knew, deep down, that a friend shouldn't make her feel this way; that a friend shouldn't do those sort of things to her. She knew she should back away from Andrea, that she should move out of her embrace, but something wouldn't let her. Every week it was the same thing; like something kept her cemented to the spot, held her there in Andrea's more than friendly, friendly embrace. Something in her _needed_ to be close to Andrea, she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"I'll see you at work," Andrea said as she let herself out of Sharon's condo. Sharon couldn't help but stand at her open door and watch Andrea until she was safely in the elevator. Only then did Sharon finally close her door, only then did she let out a ragged breath.

"Sharon Raydor, you need to get laid," she muttered to herself, laughing and shaking her head.

They were friends. _We're friends_, Sharon chanted as she pulled back the covers of her bed and slid into the middle of it, adjusting herself so that she was bundled up under the covers. _She's a wonderful friend. A kind friend. My best friend. My beautiful friend. My beautiful friend with soft lips. My beautiful friend who kissed me. _Sharon drifted into a fitful sleep, thoughts and dreams of Andrea at the forefront of her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharon stood close to Andrea, one arm laced through the younger woman's to guide her along, as they examined a row of photographs lining a long, off white wall. "I believe all of her pieces are in here," Sharon said as she moved closer to the row of photographs, the infamous Body Farm photos having caught her eye. Sharon stood as close to the photos as she could without getting in trouble with the guard, studying every detail of the subjects.

"They're just magnificent," she mused, mostly to herself, as she looked over three photos of bodies in various states of decay.

But Andrea wasn't really looking at the photographs, she was too caught up in watching Sharon observe the graphic artwork. There was a light in her eyes and an energy in her body that Andrea delighted in seeing; Sharon was positively glowing with excitement. Andrea had always known Sharon liked art, that much was obvious from the decor in her office and her home, but she had never seen her so absorbed in any given work before.

"They're exceptionally well done," Andrea offered.

Sharon chuckled. "I know it's not really your idea of art," she apologized.

"No, they are well done. Honestly. I've just always been able to relate more to music and literature than to visual art or dance." Andrea shrugged. "It's nothing against the artwork itself, it's just that other types of art have always spoken to me more than others," she explained.

Sharon hummed. "When my son was in elementary school, he was diagnosed with ADD. He was, and still is, a brilliant young man but he had difficulty studying because he couldn't concentrate on anything for long periods of time. He's since overcome it, but when he was a child his teachers suggested that we try creative ways of getting him to do his work at home," Sharon sighed, "but I was working full time, Jackson and I had separated and he barely saw the kids; I was desperate to find a way to help him out. The Body Farm exhibit was at a smaller gallery in 2001. Ricky was in his junior year at high school at the time and he had a biology midterm that he was studying for. I took him to the exhibit and we brought his textbook. We'd study the photographs and I'd have his textbook with questions and answers and I'd ask him to name parts of the body; we'd talk about what happens to the tissue, organs, in various stages of decay. The visuals and hands on aspect really helped him, and he aced the exam. There was something about pairing the literal, artistic imagery of decay with the scientific fact that just made it click for Ricky. He ended up pursuing a career in science and just this year he started his residency as an ER doctor," she said proudly.

Andrea smiled at Sharon. "That's wonderful. I didn't realize that this," she gestured to the photographs, "meant so much to you personally."

Sharon chuckled and wrapped an arm around Andrea. "I'm just glad I got to see them again. I'm not sure how long her work will be here this time. She's based on the East Coast, so her work doesn't travel out here often. She's an odd one; she likes to stay in Virginia with her old cameras and her local galleries. It's a treat if her work is out here at all. Thank you for coming with me."

Andrea's heart fluttered as she felt the warmth of Sharon's body against her side. Andrea had to admit, there was something alluring about the way Sharon spoke about art and to see her so happy thrilled Andrea to her core. She had grown accustomed to seeing Sharon in her element as the boss, and as a cop. but she didn't get to see the artistic, intellectual side of Sharon Raydor nearly enough. She liked it, a lot, and wished that she could spend every day watching Sharon like this.

"Of course, I'm glad I could come with. It's nice to see you so happy." She grinned at Sharon and pulled her in closer, squeezing her gently with one arm. "Now, I believe you promised to feed me, yes? Where is this bistro and how soon can we get there because despite looking at photographs of dead bodies for the last hour, I'm actually really hungry."

"Oh, yes, of course," Sharon laughed as she remembered their dinner date, " I thought we could go to Patina, it's just up the street in the concert hall. We'll be there in two minutes." She let go of Andrea so they could leave the museum and walk to dinner.

Andrea couldn't help the regular pang of disappointment that always asserted itself after Sharon let her out of a friendly embrace. How she would have loved to continue to walk arm in arm, hand in hand, skin touching Sharon's skin. She felt exhilarated when they touched, and always a little sad when it was over. She couldn't help but focus on the shape of Sharon's hips in her skirt as the older woman sauntered along the hallway in front of her and out the front doors of the museum so they could walk the short distance to the Walt Disney concert hall. Being friends with women had never been an issue for her before, being friends with attractive women had never been an issue for her before; being friends with Sharon Raydor was starting to become a serious issue for her.

"They have the most amazing food," Sharon gushed as they walked out into the slightly chilly evening. "I think you'll really enjoy their scallops," Sharon said, knowing all too well what Andrea was likely to select from the menu tonight.

Andrea noticed how Sharon crossed her arms and pulled the jacket she was wearing more firmly around her. Again, she wished that she could wrap an arm over her, pull her tight against her, and protect her against the cold. The urge to act more like Sharon's girlfriend instead of like merely just a friend was starting to overwhelm Andrea. She had no way of telling if Sharon could feel the tension between them as well, or if Andrea had been making it all up in her head. There were moments when Andrea could swear she saw a flicker of...something in Sharon's eyes. But it was always quickly replaced by either her utterly professional mask or a friendly smile.

Sharon and Andrea entered the restaurant and followed a hostess through a maze of tables in the main dining room to a small booth backed against a corner. "I'm so sorry for the snug fit, but this is all we have available this evening due to the concert starting in an hour, unfortunately you didn't make a reservation. Will this suit you?" The hostess asked politely, motioning to the table.

Sharon glanced up at Andrea to see if she was comfortable with the seating arrangements.

"That's fine," Andrea said, nodding to Sharon. She climbed into the booth, which was slightly elevated from the floor, and held her breath as Sharon slid in next to her. As Sharon wiggled into place, Andrea had to bite the inside of her lip; Sharon's skirt had ridden up several inches, exposing her creamy white skin, the same skin that was now pressed rather snugly against Andrea's trousers. She didn't know if she wanted to curse or thank the thin fabric that served as their only barrier.

"Well, I guess we'll be having a cozy dinner," Sharon joked, rubbing Andrea's arm. "I completely forgot about the concert tonight, I didn't even think to check the schedule. I should have picked a different restaurant, I'm sorry."

Andrea shook her head and smiled, "No, no. This is fine. We can just sit on top of one another for the next hour and a half," she deadpanned. She raised an eyebrow as Sharon laughed and finally, mercifully released her arm.

Sharon regarded the menu. "Scallops?" she asked.

Andrea pursed her lips and pretended to consider ordering something else. But, it was no use. Sharon knew her better than anyone else, and she knew that if given the choice, Andrea would always order seafood over meat or pasta. "Scallops," she confirmed.

Sharon giggled. "Knew you would." The server came moments later and took their orders. Sharon winked at Andrea when she told the young man what she wanted, and she nearly stumbled over her own words. Orders placed and wine glasses filled, he cleared their menus away and left them to hurry off to the kitchen.

Andrea watched Sharon for a moment as she tried to think of something to talk about. She hated that she felt so awkward; she had sat this close to Sharon a hundred times before in their own homes. Maybe it would be easier if you could stop noticing how beautiful she looks tonight, a little voice nagged her. Damn this restaurant for having only the narrowest booth in all of LA left, and damn Sharon Raydor for wearing that stupid pencil skirt of hers.

"So your daughter is coming in to see you next week, right? Are you excited to see her?" Andrea asked pleasantly. Kids were always a safe topic, and Sharon could talk about hers for hours if you let her.

"Oh, yes. She's flying in on Monday. I hope I'll be able to take at least one day out of the office with her, but you know how it goes, chances are slim, especially with Brenda Leigh Johnson acting out more and more frequently," Sharon smirked darkly, "Pope has all but asked me to babysit her and her division lately. It's been...frustrating to say the least," Sharon sighed, "I understand her frustrations, I truly do; but she and her detectives are making it very difficult for me to have anything but negative reports to give to Pope."

Sharon wiggled in her seat, her thigh rubbing against Andrea's, as she vented about her job. Andrea sighed quietly, she was all too aware of Sharon's body pressed and moving up against hers. She pursed her lips and nodded her head in what she hoped were the right spots in Sharon's story, because all she could think about was how even through her trousers, she could feel the warmth of Sharon's skin. She could smell Sharon's subtle perfume every time Sharon fidgeted with her hair or leaned in to murmur a swear word that she didn't want the other patrons to hear. Andrea hastily scanned the room and observed the servers, surely their food would come soon, yes?

Luckily for Andrea, their waiter walked out of the kitchen with their food just as Sharon was finishing a summary of her daughter's travel schedule for the next week. At least now she could focus on eating instead of focusing on the feel of Sharon's legs against her own, or the fantasy of Sharon's legs wrapped around her. She hadn't meant for her mind to go there, but with Sharon fidgeting against her all evening, it was difficult to keep her thoughts in line.

"How are your scallops?" Sharon chirped as she took a bite of the halibut she had ordered.

"Delicious," Andrea smiled back at Sharon, watching her for a moment. "How's your meal?"

"Divine," Sharon mused breathily, "Would you like to try some?"

Andrea swallowed hard as she felt Sharon's hand on her thigh under the table. She knew Sharon had only put her hand there so she could lean over to offer her a bite, but it was still nearly too much for Andrea to handle. Sharon extended her arm across the small table to offer her fork to Andrea, a grin spreading across her face as she did it. Andrea cursed inwardly, didn't Sharon understand how this looked? How it felt? They were sitting so close there was no way not to touch all night, and now Sharon was resting her hand on Andrea's inner thigh so she could feed her. Certainly every single soul in this restaurant had to assume they were a couple. She doesn't mean anything by it, Andrea chided herself as she accepted the food from Sharon, allowing the older woman to feed it to her.

"That is good," Andrea muttered, smiling nervously at Sharon. The truth of the matter was she'd completely lost her appetite, thanks to Sharon's little gesture.

For the rest of their meal, Andrea only managed a few more bites of her dish. She mostly poked at the scallops and rice in her dish miserably, while Sharon looked on critically. "Is there something wrong with your meal?" she asked, "I thought you said you were starving at the exhibit?" she teased.

"Oh, you know, classic my eyes are bigger than my stomach scenario," Andrea said with a nonchalant shrug. "It's excellent, but I guess I should have maybe stuck with a salad."

"You never eat just salad," Sharon scoffed, "not for dinner anyway. And not when there's seafood on the menu."

Andrea smiled at Sharon and shook her head. Sharon really did know her better than anyone else. "Yes, I know. I'll be alright. I can take this home and eat it later if I'm hungry."

Sharon nodded as she pulled her wallet out of her handbag and scooped the check up off the corner of the table. Andrea pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm paying for dinner. My treat for making you look at those photographs." Sharon flashed a dazzling smile at Andrea as she slid her credit card into the check holder and set it back down. "And besides, I like treating you."

"We're not dating," Andrea blurted out, and regretted her words as soon as she said them.

Sharon froze and regarded her carefully. "No, who said we were?" she asked softly.

"I mean, what I mean is, we're friends. We do things equally. You're not taking me out on a date, you don't have a reason to impress me, you shouldn't have to pay," Andrea backtracked desperately, doing her best to explain herself.

"Well," Sharon drawled, "as you stated, we're friends. Sometimes friends do nice things for each other. Don't make such a big deal out of it Andrea," Sharon said, frowning. "And I should hope that you view issues of financial equality a little differently when it comes to your romantic relationships as well," she said coolly.

"Excuse me?" Andrea asked, her voice carried a decidedly different tone than it had a moment ago.

"Well, it's just that, do you always let your dates pay for you? Your statement seems to indicate-"

"What I do, when I date, who I date, who pays, is none of your business Sharon," Andrea said; her tone was hard like granite now.

Sharon looked slightly taken aback, she cleared her throat. "You're absolutely right. It's not my business, and I had no right saying that," she said softly as the server returned. She made quick work of signing the bill and leaving a generous tip for their server.

Andrea followed Sharon out of the restaurant and back to the car in the museum's parking lot in silence. During their nights out, they often carpooled and tonight, Andrea had offered to drive them. The ride back to Sharon's house, though it was only twenty minutes, felt like an eternity. Neither woman dared to say anything and Sharon spent much of the ride staring out her window, her body turned as much away from Andrea as it could be. Andrea had contemplated apologizing, but she didn't know what to say. It was true that who she dated and what she did wasn't any of Sharon's business, but she hadn't meant to snap at her like that. Part of her had resented Sharon altogether for having the nerve to even bring up her love life, or lack thereof recently. No, there hadn't been anyone in Andrea's life, or in her bed, because she spent nearly every free evening she had with Sharon lately.

As they pulled up to the front of Sharon's building, Andrea let out a quiet sigh. She wished the evening could end differently, on a happier note, but they were both too stubborn to move past their tiff at dinner.

"Well, thank you for driving me home. I'll see you at work on Monday," Sharon muttered as she grabbed her purse off the floorboard and opened her door. She let herself out of the car, without so much as a glance at the blonde sitting in the driver's seat.

"Right, see you on Monday," Andrea returned. She watched longingly as Sharon walked away from her car and into the building. Only when she saw that Sharon had passed the front desk and was on her way to the elevator did she finally drive off.

The first thing that Sharon did when she let herself into her condo was kick off her shoes. The second thing was to run her fingers through her hair and let out a sigh of relief. Usually days with Andrea flew by; they had fun together. It felt natural to be around her, to be close to her; it usually felt good to be in her presence. Today had been full of awkward pauses and uncomfortable glances and then, of course, their argument. She chalked it up to nerves; sitting that close to Andrea for over an hour was more than she could handle, it made her entirely too nervous.

She made quick work of changing her clothes and washing her makeup off before climbing into bed. Trying to sleep, however, was no use. She couldn't stop thinking about her disagreement with Andrea. Why had she snapped at her? Both she and Andrea had paid for dinner for each other dozens of times before. Why was it suddenly different tonight? If she was being honest, a lot of things had been different between them lately and being Andrea's friend was starting to feel like a difficult task. There were the prolonged touches and glances that sent shivers up and down Sharon's spine, and then there were the awkward silences and the hasty retreats like tonight.

Andrea was an enigma, and their friendship was starting to become one too.

Sharon let out a quiet sigh and grabbed her phone and glasses off the nightstand. She couldn't just go to bed and leave things the way they were with Andrea. They'd never fought before, why should they start now? No, she would fix this. At the very least, she would apologize. Again.

I'm sorry I upset you at dinner, Andrea. I didn't mean to step over the line. I appreciate you going to the museum with me today, I know it really wasn't your thing, that's why I wanted to treat you to dinner...thank you. Friends?

Andrea tried to ignore the buzzing on her nightstand. She knew who it was going to be and she wasn't quite ready to face whatever it was Sharon had to say. She knew she'd behaved poorly this evening, but Sharon could be downright infuriating sometimes. Why did she have to do and say things that made Andrea feel like they were dating when she herself had very clearly stated that they were not? Why did she have to flirt and cuddle and do things like feed her and pay for her dinner? Sharon couldn't possibly be aware of how much she was leading her on, could she? Surely, she wouldn't flirt with her just for fun, would she? After a few moments of resolve, curiosity got the best of Andrea and she grabbed her phone to read Sharon's message and respond.

It's alright. I'm sorry I snapped at you, it was out of line. I enjoyed the museum. I enjoyed the day with you, Sharon. I always do. Yes. Friends... night.

Friends. They were friends, and only friends. Andrea rolled her eyes and set her phone back down so she could bury herself in her duvet. How could someone as wonderful as Sharon Raydor make her feel so miserable, yet so amazing at the same time?


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon didn't recall getting into her car after work today. She didn't recall having Andrea's address in mind when she pulled out of her parking spot. She didn't recall re-parking her car, this time, in Andrea's driveway. All she knew was that the day had been a mess. Shots had been fired. Over a dozen people's lives had been at risk today. Photographs of Andrea Hobbs had been found in the trunk of a car belonging to the Mexican mafia, along with a cash downpayment for her successful assassination. Today had been a mess, and now she was here, of all places; standing nervously on Andrea's porch, with no clear understanding of how she had arrived.

Sharon knocked softly at Andrea's door, and held her breath as she saw her friend walking towards the door through the stained glass.

"Hey," Andrea greeted her softly. There was a darkening bruise under her eye, from the impact of being tackled to the ground by Agent Howard, her hair was slightly damp likely from a recent shower and she wore a robe over her pajamas.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked concernedly as she opened the door wider to let Sharon in. She noted the puffiness of Sharon's eyes and the somewhat dazed expression on Sharon's face.

Sharon had the overwhelming urge to touch her, hold her, even kiss her. But Andrea made no move to embrace her, so Sharon fidgeted with her purse to give her hands something to do. Finding her voice, she mumbled, "Oh, fine, I'm fine. I just...," she shook her head to clear her mind, "God Andrea. What a day," she said tugging self-consciously at her blazer.

Andrea nodded her head solemnly. "You can say that again, definitely not a _good _day." She smiled faintly. "Come on, I'm watching this series on the History Channel about aliens and ancient Egypt. It's utter crap, and you're going to watch it with me," she insisted. Andrea took Sharon's blazer and purse and stored them in her closet before taking Sharon's hand and shyly tugging her towards the living room.

The skin of Sharon's palm tingled as soon as Andrea touched her, she felt her face flush hot with...something. _Concern_, it was concern, Sharon hastily convinced herself.

Once seated on Andrea's couch, they arranged themselves so that Sharon had one arm resting over the back of the couch, allowing Andrea to sit snuggled up against her side. Their feet were propped up on the ottoman, and Andrea threw a blanket over their legs. "Won't you be warm?" Sharon asked.

"I am freezing actually," she said softly.

Sharon frowned. Andrea was never cold. "Andrea, talk to me."

Andrea pursed her lips and pivoted her body so that she could wrap an arm around Sharon's middle. "I don't want to talk, Sharon. All we do is talk." She nuzzled the warm, silken skin of the older woman's neck and sighed. "We talk and talk, but we don't really say much."

Instead of feeling calm and safe like she normally did whenever Andrea embraced her, Sharon felt guilty and uneasy. First she'd been in a panic thanks to the events of today, and now, her body was humming with burgeoning pleasure; Andrea had been shot at today, now was _not_ the time Sharon's attraction to Andrea to begin to assert itself so...insistently. Sharon moaned as Andrea's lips brushed against her neck. "Andrea, what are we doing?" she asked carefully.

Andrea tilted her head upwards and brushed Sharon's hair out of her eyes. Sharon's eyes fluttered, tiny shockwaves of delight assaulted her senses as Andrea's fingers cupped her jaw. Slowly, Andrea brushed her lips against Sharon's cheek. The gentle, deliberate kiss placed against the birthmark on her face made Sharon gasp softly.

Sharon leaned into Andrea's embrace as the younger woman brushed her lips against Sharon's bottom lip, and she met Andrea halfway in a soft, tentative kiss. As Andrea pulled away, Sharon caught her full lips and drew her in for another kiss; daring to kiss her a little harder, a little more purposely. They broke apart, breathless. Each woman was staring at the other clearly starving for another kiss, another touch.

"Are you su-?" Sharon asked, her voice was rough and low.

"Yes, I'm sure," Andrea said as she crashed their lips together again, in a frenzied, messy kiss.

Sharon threw the blanket off of them, yanked Andrea's robe open and stripped it off of the younger woman. Andrea helped her push the heavy material away from her body and Sharon started plucking at the buttons of Andrea's pajama top. They both fought for dominance over the removal of her top, until Andrea gave up with a frustrated groan; she settled for latching onto the spot behind Sharon's ear with her teeth and tongue while Sharon quickly undressed her.

Sharon tossed Andrea's top aside and wrapped her arms around Andrea's bare torso; she delighted in raking her nails up and down Andrea's arms and sides, though she was careful to avoid the point where Andrea's arm was bandaged.

Andrea's tongue moved from Sharon's neck and ear back up to Sharon's mouth where she teased her lips; she groaned when Sharon finally opened her mouth beneath her insistent kisses. Andrea settled against Sharon's slight frame, pushing her further down into the couch so that she was on top of her as they continued their frenzied exploration of each other's mouths.

Sharon broke away from Andrea's swollen lips, gasping, she had to have all of her, she had to feel all of her. There was something primal and wanton about how she needed Andrea; the rare times in recent weeks that she'd allowed her mind to drift off to more carnal fantasies, she'd always pictured them coming together softly, sweetly, almost shyly. There was nothing shy or soft in the way that Andrea ground and twisted her hips in Sharon's lap, or in the way that the blonde buried her hands in Sharon's hair, yanking it to direct Sharon's mouth where she wanted it. There was nothing tentative about how Sharon's hands were squeezing the flesh under her fingertips, and there was certainly nothing shy about how she was encouraging the hypnotic motion of Andrea's hips.

Sharon's teeth were unforgiving as they made their way along Andrea's neck, stopping to kiss and suck her pulse point, which elicited a throaty moan from the blonde. Sharon bit down, deliberately marking the younger woman, then she thrust her hips to push Andrea off of her slightly, so that she could sit upright and tug Andrea back into her lap.

Andrea smiled down at Sharon as Sharon ran her hands reverently across Andrea's stomach, up her sides, and across her breasts.

Sharon was in awe as she took in every freckle, every inch of pale flesh finally revealed to her hungry eyes. Andrea's breasts were soft and heavy in her hands, topped with pink pebbled nipples which were mere inches from Sharon's face; she was absolutely stunning and at this moment, all Sharon's. Out of the corner of her eye, Sharon could see the small bandage on Andrea's arm, but she did not afford it any real attention. She did not want to be confronted with the reality that she had almost lost this woman today. Sharon wrapped her arms tightly around Andrea's hips and buried her face in the crook of her lover's neck, she delighted in the melody of sounds that were coming from Andrea's parted lips as she travelled towards her collarbone and breasts.

Andrea writhed in Sharon's lap as the older woman's lush kisses were placed across the sensitive flesh of her breasts. Every lick, every nibble, every prolonged hold of flesh between Sharon's lips sent shocks of delicious pleasure down to her sex. She gasped out loud when Sharon's tongue finally swirled around a rigid nipple and she felt her center throb empathetically when Sharon's teeth scraped across the pebbled flesh.

"Sharon," Andrea cried out again. God, she had wanted this for so long, too long. She buried her fingers further in Sharon's thick waves and held Sharon as lips, teeth, and tongue continued to do wicked things to her. She was impossibly wet, wetter than perhaps she'd ever been, and Sharon hadn't even touched her where she most needed her yet.

After several blissful moments, Sharon separated herself from Andrea and smiled up at the younger woman as her hand danced along the hem of her pajama bottoms. "Bedroom. I don't want to fuck you on the couch. I want you in your bed," she muttered in-between the kisses she was placing along Andrea's shoulder.

"Yes," Andrea moaned. Just hearing Sharon utter the words _fuck you_ had her nearly undone. Andrea stood quickly and pulled Sharon off the couch, wrapping her arms around her where they stood so she could pull her into another heated kiss. It was a short trip to the bedroom, but Andrea couldn't stand the thought of not kissing her, even for that small amount of time.

Sharon's tongue danced along Andrea's bottom lip as they stumbled along the hallway wrapped up in each other while Andrea tugged roughly at Sharon's shirt. Sharon groaned as Andrea succeeded in untucking the silk shirt from Sharon's skirt; Sharon reached for the clasp of her bra to unsnap and pull it off herself.

Andrea pushed Sharon up against the wall adjacent to her bedroom and pressed the full length of her body against Sharon's, reveling in the feeling of Sharon's soft breasts pressed so firmly against hers. Andrea quickly located the zipper of Sharon's skirt at her side and tugged the expensive material down Sharon's hips, revealing her thighs to her. They stumbled into the bedroom clumsily and Andrea hastily flicked the light switch on the wall so that the white, crisp sheets on her bed were illuminated.

Sharon pulled Andrea towards the bed and pushed her down so that she could quickly tug her pajama bottoms off. For a moment, Sharon stood at the foot of the bed and watched Andrea. She was completely captivated by the sight of the blonde laying in front of her, clad in nothing but a pair of navy blue cotton panties, through which she could see Andrea's arousal. She always knew that Andrea was an exceptionally pretty woman. She just hadn't expected her to be _this_ beautiful, this captivating, or for all this to feel so _good_.

"Are you going to join me?" Andrea asked quietly. She bent one of her legs, opening herself even further to Sharon's devouring gaze and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, I am going to join you." Sharon grinned as she sat at the foot of the bed, rubbing Andrea's leg. She bowed her head and kissed Andrea's calf, sucking the pale skin, it took a great deal of willpower to leave the lean muscle in favour of the skin behind her knee. She heard Andrea's answering hiss and grinned against her skin; she hooked Andrea's leg around her shoulder and focused her attention on the sensitive skin of Andrea's inner thigh. She glanced up at Andrea, who was desperately clutching at the pillows above her, and grinned wickedly as she littered both of Andrea's thighs with hot, open mouthed kisses. Inching her way further up the bed, she pressed herself firmly against Andrea's body, hitching Andrea's leg up even higher. Sharon could feel the scrape of Andrea's panties against her belly, and as Andrea canted her hips forward, Sharon could feel the dampness of her sex through the flimsy material.

"Tease. I thought you were going to fuck me," Andrea gasped as Sharon swirled her tongue around Andrea's nipple again. Sharon chuckled against the skin, and bit down a bit more roughly.

"I am going to fuck you," Sharon promised. "Are you wet for me Andrea?"

Andrea arched her back and ground her center against Sharon's stomach. Sharon sucked a nipple into her mouth again.

"I can't hear you," Sharon mumbled against her.

"Yes!" Andrea gasped. "Yes, just fuck me," she pleaded.

Sharon smirked and began her descent; as she eased her way down Andrea's hips, she gently lowered Andrea's leg off of her shoulder.

Andrea felt Sharon's lips curl around the fabric of her panties and felt the scrape of teeth and lips as Sharon dragged the fabric, slowly, deliberately, down her legs; then she felt Sharon grasp the outside of her thighs, firmly.

"Open your legs for me," Sharon purred against Andrea's thigh. Andrea obeyed, and Sharon felt her own sex clench with desire at the sight of Andrea, completely exposed and ready for her. Sharon bowed her head and ran the tip of her tongue across Andrea's swollen folds, she groaned at the rich taste of her long-desired lover.

Andrea gathered fistfulls of her bedsheets in her hands, clenching and pulling at the soft material as Sharon teased her already aching sex. "Please," she begged softly, "I need you Sharon."

One of Sharon's hands left it's place on Andrea's leg to replace the wrinkled fabric in Andrea's hand with her own. Andrea sighed as Sharon brought both of their hands to rest against her hip. Sharon lowered her lips again to taste her lover; this time, she used the entire width of her tongue to flutter against Andrea's clit, causing the blonde to moan and thrust her hips forward at the contact. She circled Andrea's clit with precise pressure and brought her other hand down to tease Andrea's entrance.

Andrea moaned louder as she felt one, then two of Sharon's slender fingers ease inside of her as Sharon's tongue kept up a steady rhythm against her clit. The feeling nearly pushed Andrea over the edge; she snaked the fingers of her free hand through Sharon's hair, holding her lover's head in place as she came closer to finishing.

Sharon closed her lips around Andrea's clit, and she sucked hard, flicking her tongue across the bundle of nerves in time with her thrusts in and out of her lover. Sharon felt Andrea's entire body tense as wave after wave of pleasure came crashing over her, the feeling so intense she could feel it in every part of her lover's body as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.

Sharon kissed along Andrea's sex, across her thighs and around her belly button as Andrea calmed. She felt Andrea grip her upper arms and drag her upwards; once they were eye level Andrea thrust her hips and flipped them so that Sharon was flat on her back.

Andrea teased the skin of Sharon's hips over the black lace panties. "These need to go, now," she said as she tugged the offending garment down Sharon's long, shapely legs.

Sharon sat up to steal a kiss from Andrea, pulling her back down on top of her as she bit down gently on Andrea's bottom lip. Sharon had long admired the shape and fullness of Andrea's lips; too often she had caught herself staring at Andrea's lipstick covered pout, smirk, or smile. She'd spent hour just fantasizing about what it might be like to kiss Andrea's lips, to feel them against her own heated skin, to feel them at her very core.

Andrea's hands ran the length of Sharon's torso and teased her inner thigh. She had waited for this moment for what seemed like an eternity and now that Sharon was finally here in her bed, Andrea needed to bring her to her orgasm as hard and as fast as she could. She craved the taste of Sharon, she craved the feeling of her coming around her fingers, she needed to see Sharon lose control; she needed it perhaps as badly as Sharon needed it as well.

Andrea propped herself up on one arm so that she could observe Sharon's reaction as she softly teased and circled Sharon's center. Sharon was exquisite; her lips were parted, her brow was furrowed, and a light sheen of sweat painted her limbs and elegant cheekbones. She circled Sharon's clit more firmly, and watched as pleasure flickered across her face.

"I want you to come apart for me," Andrea whispered against Sharon's jaw and Sharon groaned in response. "Will you do that Sharon? Will you come for me?" Andrea nibbled under her lover's jaw as she eased her way into her body.

"Yes," Sharon gasped as Andrea thrust into her repeatedly. Sharon raised her arms above her head and clung to the bars of Andrea's headboard to steady herself as she felt the pleasure building inside of her. Andrea pressed against Sharon's clit with the palm of her hand, and the added stimulation pushed Sharon nearly over the edge. She let out a frustrated sob as Andrea's steady rhythm kept her at the edge for several torturous moments.

"What do you need Sharon?" Andrea asked as she sucked at her lover's neck. "Do you want my mouth?"

Sharon nodded empathetically. "Yes, your mouth," she moaned as months worth of fantasies threatened to finally come true.

Not needing to be told twice, Andrea withdrew her hand from Sharon's sex and quickly settled herself between Sharon's legs. She grasped both limbs and placed them on her shoulders; with her hands at Sharon's hips to steady them both, she bent her head and tongued Sharon's folds.

"Fuck," Sharon groaned as Andrea simply devoured her. Grasping for something else to anchor her, she dug her nails into the skin of Andrea's shoulders and upper arms. She came against Andrea's mouth embarrassingly fast, within mere moments. She moaned Andrea's name as pleasure like she'd never experienced swept her away.

Andrea rolled away from Sharon quicker than Sharon would have liked, wincing slightly. "Fuck," she muttered.

Sharon propped herself up on trembling arms. "What?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm bleeding. I think I tore a stitch." Andrea sighed as sat on the edge of the bed and examined her own arm.

Concern washed over Sharon and she jumped out of bed quickly, ignoring how lightheaded she still felt, and rushed to the other side of the bed so she could help Andrea. "Here, let me do it," she commanded, marching the younger woman into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. "Lean against the counter, don't touch it."

Sharon looked at Andrea for a moment as she leaned against the counter, the weight of the day finally washing over her. _Had she really just slept with Andrea Hobbs?_ Sharon brushed away the panic and doubt that was trying to settle itself in her mind.

She looked down at Andrea's arm to see that there was no blood on the bandage, but rather a scratch a few inches lower. "Well, your bandage is fine," she laughed as she wiped Andrea's arm with a wet cloth, "but you've got a scratch just below it."

"A scratch?" Andrea muttered, smirking at Sharon, "from your nails, no doubt. The band aids are under the sink." She rolled her eyes and raked her hands through her sweaty hair, brushing it off of her face and neck.

Sharon blushed guiltily as she reached under the sink and pulled out a small square bandage to cover the wound on Andrea's arm. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself; you do wicked things with your tongue, Andrea Hobbs." Once the band aid was secured under Andrea's larger bandage, Sharon led her back to the bedroom.

"I'm glad you approve of the things I do with my tongue, Captain," Andrea whispered playfully in Sharon's ear, nibbling it slightly, as she settled back into bed with her.

_Captain_. Sharon was her Captain. She was torn between ecstasy and outright panic as Andrea wrapped her arms around her.

Andrea winced again as she rested on her injured arm, then readjusted herself. "Sorry, my arm is a little more sore than I thought it would be," she sighed mournfully as she held her arm against her torso.

"Don't be sorry," Sharon said seriously, adjusting herself on her back and immediately Andrea rested her head against Sharon's chest. "You have to be exhausted, you need some rest. Did the doctor give you anything for pain?" Sharon wiggled under Andrea's weight as she fought an internal battle against herself. _Captain_. They were co-workers. Friends. But _co-workers_. As Andrea nuzzled her breasts, depositing tiny kisses all across her skin, she wondered, what else were they now?

Andrea cuddled against Sharon's side and rested her head on her chest, her injured arm draped across Sharon's stomach. "Yes, I already took it," she muttered sleepily. Between the pain pills that were active in her system and how comfortable and warm she felt in Sharon's embrace, she was on the verge of sleep a lot faster than she had meant to be; she had hoped to make love to Sharon at least one more time, but they always had the morning."Stay here tonight, okay? I don't want you to go anywhere. I intend on continuing this tomorrow morning when I've had the chance to recover," she requested sleepily.

When Sharon didn't answer, Andrea looked up at her. "Please?"

Sharon nodded her head slowly. "Okay," she said, not easily. What did Andrea intend to continue tomorrow morning, the sex? The holding one another? Their friendship?

Content with Sharon's affirmative answer, Andrea settled back into her embrace. "Good. Like you here. Feels right," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

Sharon kept her arms around Andrea as she watched her sleep for what felt like hours, as a knot of panic settled itself firmly in her stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

Sharon watched the rise and fall of Andrea's chest as they lay in bed. At some point in the night, they had separated and Andrea now lay on her back with her face turned towards Sharon. One of her hands rested against Sharon's thigh; even after she'd repositioned, it was clear that she still wanted to be in contact with Sharon. Sharon had barely slept all evening. Her mind had raced through the entire LAPD rulebook, and while there was no rule restricting officers from becoming romantically involved with staff from the DA's office, she couldn't help but stumble over the inevitable fact that they were co-workers, not to mention, friends. Romance complicated everything. _Sex complicates everything_, her mind reminded her; they'd had sex last night. Delicious, fabulous, fulfilling sex, that didn't automatically mean that they were romantically involved, right?

Andrea stirred in her sleep and rolled over, swinging an arm over Sharon's torso again. Andrea sighed against Sharon's shoulder and she caressed Sharon's stomach in her sleep.

Sharon bit her lip to prevent herself from groaning out loud in frustration. How the hell were they going to move forward? Did Andrea want a relationship? Did she want sex? Did she just want sex last night? Did Sharon even want any of those things? Obviously she had wanted sex last night, but what now?

It had been some time since she'd been involved with a woman, she'd forgotten how complicated these negotiations could be sometimes. Men were easier in a way; she didn't have many single, straight male friends, so there was no risk in getting involved with a man who was previously her friend. The risk of getting involved with a woman who was previously her friend; now that was an issue, and one that she had just gotten herself tangled up in. Andrea wasn't easy, she was complicated, unpredictable, messy; it frustrated Sharon just to think about it. Sharon winced as she felt Andrea's grip on her torso tighten; all she wanted right now was to be out of bed and away from Andrea. She needed to get back to her house and get dressed for work or she was going to be late.

Feeling her tense up, Andrea finally stirred more firmly against Sharon and opened her eyes. "Good morning." She smiled against Sharon's shoulder and she brushed her lips against the skin in a soft kiss.

"Good morning," Sharon managed to mutter stiffly, not daring to make eye contact with Andrea as the younger woman looked up at her. As hard as it was to watch Andrea sleep, Sharon was finding out quickly that she preferred it to Andrea being awake. She had no words; she didn't know how to fix this, whatever _it_ was. She just had the overwhelming need to leave.

"I was granted the day off, so you may use the shower first if you like. I'm in no rush," Andrea said as she stretched and propped her head up on a bent arm. "Or we can share it. I'll make it worth your while," she purred. Andrea swept her hand across Sharon's stomach again, but she felt Sharon tense up in response. She pulled her hand away and surveyed the nervous frown on Sharon's face, the rigid posture of Sharon's whole body. And then it clicked.

"I really think I should just shower at home, Andrea," Sharon said carefully, pulling the covers back so she could get out of bed, "I've got to be at work in a little while and I'm going to be late if I don't leave now." Sharon knew Andrea could see through the excuses.

"Is that really why you're so anxious to get out of my bed?" Andrea asked softly. "Last night you couldn't get me in here fast enough, and now...?" she trailed off, unsure how to even phrase how she was feeling.

Sharon sat up in the bed, hugging her bent legs under her chin. "Andrea, last night...I don't regret it. Being with you was, it was incredible. I just don't know where we go from here," she said honestly. "We work together, we're friends, since when did we ever want something other than what we had? I'm just...reluctant to redefine this." Sharon looked at her in the eyes for the first time. "My friendship with you is so important to me Andrea, please know that. And our dynamic at work is so important to me too. Is all of that worth potentially sacrificing just for sex?"

"Our friendship is important to me too, Sharon," she said, "but is it necessarily a bad thing if we redefine it?" It stung to hear Sharon refer to what they'd shared the night before as just sex. Granted, they'd been a bit blinded by passion, by the heat of the moment. They had neglected to have any sort of meaningful conversation, in which they had been able to define what had happened between them. But she could have sworn that they had shared something deeper, especially because of how right things had felt when she'd fallen asleep in Sharon's arms.

Sharon ran her hands through her messy curls frustratedly. "I don't know Andrea, all I know is that we run an equal chance of ruining what we have as we do making it better. Is that a risk you want to take?"

"Is it a risk you're _willing_ to take?" Andrea asked.

Sharon took in Andrea's appearance. Her hair was a riot from their tryst the night before, she wore no make-up so the slight bruise on her cheek was still visible, as were the countless scratches and bite marks across her arms, shoulders, and neck. The bite marks she had placed there, last night, in a fit of passion, of need, of desire for Andrea. But most noticeable of all, was the raw vulnerability in Andrea's eyes.

Sharon was at a loss for words.

"You don't take risks," Andrea stated quietly, answering her own question.

Sharon shook her head solemnly, "I don't. You know me too well," she chuckled sadly.

Andrea regarded her seriously. "So where does that leave us then? What do we chalk last night up to? Tension? Fear? Stress?"

"You almost died yesterday. I needed to see you after work, I wanted to talk to you at work but I couldn't...I just couldn't. I knew that as soon as I approached you I was going to lose it. You're a beautiful woman Andrea, I won't lie, you've always been so, so beautiful to me," Sharon said. "I guess...I guess I needed to see you so badly, I needed to make sure you were okay and maybe I let my appreciation of you get the better of me."

Appreciation. That's all it had been, Sharon's _appreciation_ of her getting in the way. Andrea's face burned hotly with anger and embarrassment; she'd been foolish to think Sharon could have honestly wanted anything else with her.

"I don't want to lose you as my friend," Sharon said quietly. "And I don't want to sacrifice what we have at work either," she repeated.

Andrea sat up in bed and reached for a t-shirt on her dresser. She suddenly felt the need to cover herself in front of Sharon; anything to put a barrier between them. "I don't want to lose you as my friend, either," she muttered, the disappointment obvious in her voice. _I didn't want to lose you as my lover either though_, she thought.

Sharon sighed as she watched Andrea dress herself. If this was what she wanted, why did it feel so terrible? "I think... I know, that right now I cannot do anything but be your friend, Andrea. But I don't want to lose that. I can't lose that. I'm so sorry if I led you on, or hurt you in any way. Please know that it was never my intention to do that." There was a desperation in Sharon's voice that Andrea had never heard before.

"You won't lose that," Andrea said, sighing. She meant it, she really did; she didn't want to lose the companionship that she'd come to treasure so dearly. Surely they could get back to the easy friendship they once had, right? "I can't promise that things won't be, awkward, for a bit, but..." she shrugged, blushing deeply. "I'm going to need some space," she said.

Sharon nodded and crossed her arms over her chest as she made her way out of Andrea's bed to collect her clothes, which were still scattered haphazardly down the hallway. "I think that's a fair compromise... I don't know how to work this out from here, but I know that I'd like to. And I understand that it may take us some time to..." Sharon trailed off, unsure of exactly what she wanted to say. "To... recover, I guess, from last night. And I know that you're probably pissed at me for..." she trailed off, shrugging.

Andrea avoided Sharon's gaze as she contemplated Sharon's choice in words. "We'll figure it out. Now, you should probably get home and get ready for work," she sighed, trying to keep her tone as gentle as possible, given the circumstances. She really was ready for Sharon to be out of her house.

"Right..." Sharon muttered. She regarded Andrea one last time before she left the room to collect the rest of her things. She opted for getting dressed in the guest bathroom to give Andrea her space and only approached the master bedroom again when she was fully clad in her outfit from the night before.

"Well, I am going to go, Andrea," she announced from the doorway, uncertain of whether Andrea wanted her in her bedroom again or not.

Andrea had pulled her pants back on and was fidgeting with the hem of her flannel bottoms. "I'll walk you out," she said awkwardly.

"Oh, okay," Sharon said, surprised, still balanced in the doorway. Andrea raised an eyebrow at Sharon and waited for her to move. She was not going to touch her again. Sharon paused, then startled slightly as she caught the hint. She moved quickly, allowing Andrea to walk in front of her down the hallway.

Andrea dug Sharon's jacket and purse out of her closet in the front of her home as Sharon stepped back into her heels. "Here you go," she said as she offered them to Sharon.

Sharon took the items and smiled. "Thank you. Um, if you need anything, if you start to feel unwell or if the painkillers are making you dizzy-"

"I'll be fine, thank you," Andrea said coolly.

"Right, well, I'll see you later?" Sharon reached out to embrace Andrea, but she felt the younger woman stiffen, so her embrace turned into an awkward arm pat. Sharon let her go quickly and hitched her purse over her shoulder, trying to hide the disappointment and sadness she knew were apparent on her face. _She_ was the one who said they couldn't be anything other than friends. _She_ was responsible for this. Andrea was pissed at her, and she had every right to be. "Well, bye then," Sharon muttered as she walked out the door, not bothering to look back at Andrea as she went. Andrea had made it clear she wanted to be left alone and she needed to allow her that.

Andrea watched from the front door as Sharon got into her car and pulled out of her driveway. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched her drive down the street. Andrea had not anticipated the last twenty-four hours to go as they had; she didn't think Sharon would come over, she certainly hadn't expected them to sleep together. She _really_ didn't expect Sharon to leave her. Her heart sank as Sharon's car disappeared from her view. Andrea laughed darkly to herself as she dragged her body away from the door and back towards her bed. It was stupid of her to be surprised by Sharon's decision. At the end of the day, remaining friends was the only sensible decision, and the only kind of decisions Rulebook Raydor ever made were sensible. Sharon didn't take risks. She didn't make decisions while being led by irrationality or random whims; that was part of what Andrea had always admired so much about her, though right now, she hated that quality.

_Friends_. That's what Sharon wanted; friendship was safe, easy, and comfortable for her. It was what Andrea wanted too, truly; she couldn't imagine not having Sharon in her life as a support both personally and professionally. She wasn't sure if they could ever get back to the friendship they used to have, but surely, like all good things, it was worth fighting for? If not, Andrea was going to have to find a way to live without Sharon altogether.


	5. Chapter 5

Sharon stood at the elevators at the Major Crimes division, waiting impatiently for Andrea Hobbs to arrive. She hated that she had to brief the D.A.'s office every time Brenda Leigh Johnson's team rolled out for a homicide, but rules were rules and she was going to follow them, even if it meant great discomfort in her own life. Pope got along well with Andrea, he admired her no-nonsense attitude; thus he often requested that she be used specifically in any case that Chief Johnson was the lead investigator in.

Andrea stepped off the elevator and nodded her head politely at Sharon. "Good afternoon, Captain Raydor," she greeted Sharon, making a concentrated effort to keep her eyes focused on Sharon's face and nowhere else on her body.

She'd purposely avoided Sharon as much as she could lately out of frustration and anger for how her supposed friend had treated her. Part of her hated Sharon for being such a coward, but then part of her was still inexplicably drawn to the older woman; and for that, Andrea hated herself a little bit too. She'd never compromised her happiness or emotional well being for a relationship before, if someone was in her life and not contributing to it in a positive way, Andrea cut them out of it. No hesitation. With Sharon, it was complicated. Yes, part of her wanted the Captain gone altogether, but part of her still ached for Sharon's presence in her life; caught between her conflicting feelings Andrea had kept Sharon out of her personal life entirely but remained civil to her at work. Andrea could do professionalism, it was a safe and comfortable place for her to be right now while she tried to make sense of the mess that was the situation between herself and Sharon lately.

"You're looking well." Sharon smiled at her colleague, hoping to elicit a friendlier, warmer reaction from the blonde. But Andrea only offered her another curt nod. "Sorry to pull you over here from your office in the middle of the day."

Andrea shook her head. "It's no trouble, part of the job," she said crisply. "Has the suspect asked for an attorney yet?" Straight to business. As was the usual these days.

Sharon followed her down the hallway towards the murder room. "No, he hasn't asked for one yet. But it's only a matter of time. Lt. Provenza and Lt. Flynn located his sister. His original alibi indicated that he was with her during his wife's murder. When asked where she was the night before last, she confirmed that she had gone to see a film with her boyfriend, but neglected to mention her brother joining them. Not to mention, we've found his DNA under his wife's fingernails; it's likely that she fought back when he attacked her."

Andrea nodded. "So it's pretty simple then? No big surprises? Nothing that's going to hinder me from doing my job?" she asked pointedly.

"Everyone has been on their...most decent behaviour," she said, in regards to Chief Johnson and her team. "But I'm still here looking for their leak, so, their attitude towards me is quite a different story."

"Ah, so that's what must have you so busy, then," Andrea joked as Sharon walked her down the hallway towards the electronics room. She risked a glance at Sharon to observe how she reacted to the mention of her previous promise to maintain their friendship; something which neither one of them had been able to live up to.

Sharon blushed as she realized Andrea's slight. "I'm sorry I haven't called, I have been busy with this, yes..." she trailed off as they reached Buzz and the rest of the team and she bit her lip in frustration as their conversation was cut off, "I will uh, see you after all this is done, DDA Hobbs."

"Of course," Andrea said with a polite nod of her head.

Sharon pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared again at the file in front of her. It was becoming more and more difficult to balance her duties in Internal Affairs, while also being assigned the job of Chief Johnson's permanent babysitter. It was becoming tiresome and frankly, downright insulting to both her and Chief Johnson. She was never in her own office anymore and the team often resented when she asked to share their desk space. Though, whenever she needed to do paperwork in their department, they often all fled which at least granted her some privacy.

Sharon heard the clicking of heels and looked up to see Andrea walking towards her. She looked about as exhausted as Sharon felt right now. "DDA Hobbs," she said formally, too nervous to greet her any other way. She watched as the blonde approached her desk, still upholding her professional facade. Sharon couldn't help the sadness and guilt that gnawed at her conscience as, with each interaction, she realized she was steadily losing Andrea's friendship.

"We're all done here. He confessed to second degree murder and we've set a date with the judge. Like you said, pretty simple," she smiled politely, crossing an arm over her chest as she held her briefcase with her other hand.

Sharon continued to watch Andrea as the younger woman leaned against her desk to discuss the case. It had been a long while since she'd been in such close proximity with the blonde; she had missed being so physically close to her. She caught a whiff of her perfume as Andrea turned to head towards the elevators, obviously more than ready to leave Major Crimes and Sharon behind for the evening.

"Can I walk you to the elevators?" Sharon asked awkwardly, practically jumping out of her chair as she watched Andrea stand to go. She felt guilty for affording her professional life all of her attention lately, but more than that she couldn't help but give into her need to be around Andrea, even for just a few more moments.

Andrea regarded her with a frown, but nodded. "Umm, sure you can, Captain." She did her best to smile, but it was awkward. She felt tense and unsure around Sharon; she didn't know how to act around her anymore.

"Look, I'm sorry I've been so busy," Sharon started as they walked next to each other, keeping a careful distance. "I've been so wrapped up in trying to find the leak in Major Crimes, which has set me back quite a lot in Internal Affairs. I've been so behind in my paperwork, I've been working my over time at home every night and on the weekends. I guess my mind has been caught up in work lately and not in my life outside of these walls. I've been meaning to call you."

"You don't have to call me," Andrea said stiffly, stopping in front of the large metal doors to wait for the elevator. "I know you're busy."

Sharon crossed her arms over her chest nervously, wishing she hadn't volunteered to walk Andrea out. All she really wanted to do was wrap her arms around the younger woman and tell her she was sorry, tell her she missed her. "I wanted to call, Andrea," she said quietly, her voice trailing as she tried to figure out her next move. "Do you want to have dinner sometime? We can catch up?"

Andrea shifted nervously in her heels. "I'm a bit busy lately myself..."

"Tell you what, I'll make that chicken and quinoa dish again," Sharon said brightly. "I was planning on making it tonight and I did promise to make you my guest whenever I made it," she said, hoping that memories of happier, simpler times between them might work in her favour.

Andrea looked Sharon up and down, unsure of how to let her down easily. It was then that she noticed that the tag of Sharon's blouse was sticking out through her thick hair. "Here," she said quietly, pushing Sharon's hair to one side of her face so she could tuck the tag back in. She couldn't help but recall what it had felt like to touch her properly, to be able to push her hair aside and kiss her neck, to hold her close as they slept. She sighed heavily. "I'll call you when I'm not so busy, okay? But tonight doesn't work for me. I'm sorry Sharon," she muttered.

"Okay...okay. Yes." Sharon swallowed hard and did her best to keep herself together as Andrea stepped onto the elevator. The feeling of Andrea's hands on her shoulders, her fingers lightly combing through her hair, it shook her. "Well, have a good night, then," she muttered, crossing her arms to hold herself.

As the elevator doors closed, Andrea let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding in. Their relationship had all but disintegrated and Andrea didn't know how to bring it back to life, or how to move on. Being near Sharon was awkward, complicated, and painful; she missed her friend, but she missed her lover even more. Try as she did, she couldn't get herself to go back to just being Sharon's friend; she couldn't forget that night no matter how hard she tried. Yet Andrea was caught, for she wasn't ready yet to try and move on and jump back into the frightening world of dating.

She felt terrible about lying to her, but she would not be calling Sharon anytime soon, especially not to hang out at her house. That just seemed like a recipe for disaster to Andrea. She sighed and tried to push all thought of Sharon out of her head as she walked out of the police station and into the chilly evening air.


	6. Chapter 6

The promotion to Major Crimes came with a whole host of mixed emotions for Sharon. While she was happy to have a promotion for the first time in years, she was sad to see Brenda Leigh Johnson go the way she had. She knew that the stress of losing her mother and going after Stroh again legally had gotten to Brenda, but she didn't realize quite how badly it had affected the younger woman. She had grown to care for the police chief in a way. She couldn't deny that watching Brenda beat Phillip Stroh as the elevator doors closed, knowing she couldn't get to her to stop it; or to protect Brenda, like she had grown so accustomed to doing recently had made her feel useless. Those few panicked moments that Brenda was locked in the elevator with Stroh sparked a sense of helplessness in Sharon that she loathed feeling.

The images of Brenda Leigh covered in Phillip Stroh's blood, and the devastation present in Brenda Leigh's eyes as realization of what she had done flooded her body that day, seemed to play in a continuous, torturous loop in Sharon's head. She sat at her desk, head in her hands, as she wondered how the hell she was going to pull this new job off. The Major Crimes team loved Brenda Leigh Johnson; there was no way Sharon could follow in those tiny little footsteps of hers, nor did she want to, really. She didn't want to be Brenda's replacement, she just wanted to come to work, be respected by her fellow officers, and get the job done. Her official transfer was to take place in three weeks. She had three weeks to figure out how she was going to earn the respect and the trust of the men she had spent the last several months investigating as potential leaks.

The knock at her door startled her, but the woman standing in the doorway to her office startled her even more.

"I hear congratulations are in order?" Andrea asked, a careful smile crossed her lips. She'd been avoiding Sharon since she found out about her promotion, but the sentimental part of her mind had finally persuaded her to pluck up the courage to come by and congratulate her. She could almost pretend that she was doing it out of professional courtesy. Almost.

"Oh, uh, something like that," Sharon did her best to smile back as Andrea walked into her office, uninvited. "Nice of you to stop by finally. I guess you never found time for that dinner," she muttered under her breath. The sight of Andrea made Sharon surprisingly angry.

Andrea froze. She was about to take a seat opposite Sharon at her desk, but now she was considering that coming by had been a total mistake. "Do you really want to go there Sharon?" she said quietly as she palmed the back of the chair, unsure now of whether to sit or to turn around and leave.

"I meant it when I said that my friendship with you was important," Sharon said seriously as she watched Andrea. She motioned for Andrea to sit down; she didn't know when she'd have the opportunity to speak to her again. She was going to take the chance while she had it.

Andrea nodded and took a seat across the desk from her, she also wanted to take advantage of the fact that they had an opportunity right in front of them to try and mend things. "I needed some time to figure this out, okay? I did tell you that. I certainly don't appreciate you coming at me with that tone and that remark especially after what the hell has happened," she said dangerously.

Sharon wrung her hands nervously. "You're right, I am sorry. That was uncalled for and completely rude of me. It's just….it's been a long day. There has been so much change in my life lately and I don't really know if I am coming or going at this point, I feel unsettled and I hate it," she admitted quietly.

Andrea had always been a safe place for her and seeing her again, outside of a strictly professional setting, had set something off in Sharon. She couldn't pretend that she was fine and perfectly put together; and she certainly hadn't meant to confess to Andrea anything even slightly emotional, but it all slipped out before she could stop herself.

"I'm sorry Andrea, I know that I haven't been a good friend lately. You have every right to be impatient with me and not even want to see me. But I do miss you," Sharon sighed; she took a moment to collect herself before continuing. "Just, could we not be such strangers when we see each other at work at least? I understand that maybe it'll be awhile before we're having drinks and dinner again, but, when we do see each other around here, do we have to be so cold? Could we please compromise at least on that?"

Andrea regarded her counterpart carefully before she shook her head, "No. No we don't have to be cold. We can be friendly at work." Andrea leaned back in the chair and unbuttoned her jacket, trying in vain to find a position that was comfortable for her while in Sharon's presence. "So, tell me about this promotion? I saw Chief Johnson yesterday. She wasn't in good shape, she knows it's time to leave I think, but I think saying goodbye has been hard for her. We're working things out with my office to offer her as smooth a transition as possible. I think that eventually, she's going to be alright."

"That's good, I'm glad that your office is taking her and Detective Gabriel in. They're both wonderful officers and they'll be fabulous additions to your office," Sharon said. "As far as the promotion goes, no one knows yet but us, your boss, Chief Pope and Chief Taylor."

Andrea's eyes widened. "The rest of the Major Crimes division doesn't know yet? Who do they think is going to run things with Chief Johnson gone?"

"Lt. Provenza is taking charge for the next few weeks while I train my replacement in IA."

"Can you imagine the fit he's going to throw when he finds out his being in charge isn't permanent?" Andrea chuckled darkly, as she contemplated the scene in her head.

Sharon stared mournfully at the desk, obviously not finding it as funny. "I know, it's going to be a nightmare, but Chief Taylor assures me he will take care of it... appropriately."

Andrea looked at her sympathetically. "Well, let's hope that Taylor knows what the hell he's doing. Or that he at least has your back when the shit hits the fan and Provenza throws his fit."

Sharon laughed. "Oh god you're right, this is going to be a mess," she murmured, "why the hell did I agree to this Andrea?"

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Sharon," she smiled up at her, "Besides, this is your chance to finally put Lt. Provenza in his place for back talking you for years... and Lt. Flynn for, well, for being Lt. Flynn; an eternal pain in the ass. You're going to be just fine," Andrea assured her.

For a moment, it almost seemed as though conversation was going to flow naturally between them like it had so many times before.

"Flynn isn't that bad. Not anymore, actually; apart from Tao, he's probably been the most helpful in recent days with all that's happened," Sharon said.

Andrea quirked her brow knowingly. "Just wait until you lay down the law. Don't be surprised if they give you some resistance, but like I said, you're the best officer for the job," Andrea said, smiling. "In fac-" Her cell phone started ringing, effectively cutting her off. She fished the phone out of her briefcase and sighed when she saw the caller ID.

"Hot date?" Sharon teased; that was what she always said whenever Andrea got a phone call. It had been a normal, anticipated joke between them for ages; naturalized to the point of almost being a reflex. This time however, she regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

"Ah, uh, no," Andrea said awkwardly. Any sense of warmth that had slowly started to build between them had been quickly doused. "Excuse me," she said as she answered the call. "Hi, yes. No I haven't left yet. Yes, that's fine. I'll pick it up on the way home. Bye."

"That was silly of me to ask, I-"

"Brian is in town for the week," she said, mentioning her brother by name as Sharon had met him on several occasions. "He's staying with me again and just wanted to know what we were doing about dinner," she made it clear that she didn't want to acknowledge Sharon's slip-up. "Speaking of which, I should get going. He's in the mood for take-out and I'd rather pick up the food before the place gets busy," Andrea said as she gathered her briefcase and stood.

"Well, let me walk you out, then," Sharon smiled, determined not to let Andrea leave on bad terms this time. She pushed herself back from her desk and stood, walking quickly to open her office door wider so she and Andrea could get through it; Andrea had pulled it practically closed when she'd entered earlier.

"Do you have anything fun planned with Brian? Send him my regards, will you?" There was a hint of regret in Sharon's voice; she knew she wouldn't be seeing Brian this time around, which saddened her, she had always gotten along very well with Andrea's brother. How many relationships had their little tryst cost her? How many more would it cost her?

"Yes, I'll let him know you said hi," Andrea said stiffly.

Sharon opened the door wider and leaned against it, Andrea stood with her back flush against the doorframe opposite her. It was late, everyone else in Sharon's department had already gone home for the evening; they were completely alone for the first time in weeks. Sharon licked her lips nervously, and Andrea couldn't help but stare at the older woman's mouth; this habit of hers had always driven Andrea crazy; now it was just downright torturous.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from Brian. Thank you for stopping by, Andrea, really. It was good to see you, and thank you for...your patience and just, well everything," Sharon said genuinely, albeit a little awkwardly, hoping she could turn things around before Andrea left.

"It was good to see you, too, Sharon," Andrea said softly, unsure of how to tell her goodbye appropriately.

Sharon smiled at Andrea, the gesture causing her laugh lines to stand out proudly, highlighting the birthmark on her cheek. Andrea couldn't help herself, she leaned forward and kissed that little mark, the one that Sharon tried in vain to cover with cosmetics, the one that Andrea had secretly adored so very much for so very long. It was both pure bliss and pure agony to feel Sharon's skin beneath her lips again; she kept her kiss brief, gentle, hoping that it would come off as friendly. But as Andrea pulled away, she felt Sharon lean into her personal space, and nuzzle her neck. She couldn't help it, being near Sharon like this again was overwhelming; Andrea wanted to grab her, kiss her, hold her and never let her go, but she settled for wrapping one arm around her shoulders, and kissing the top of her head.

Sharon sighed against Andrea's neck, her whole body tingled delightfully from being this close to Andrea again.

"Sharon," Andrea sighed, "I have to go home."

Sharon pushed away slowly from Andrea's embrace and back up against her door again, face flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, that was wrong of me..." she muttered as she pushed herself as far into the doorframe as she could, trying to create at least the illusion of space between her and Andrea.

"Um, it's fine," Andrea said awkwardly; she blushed fiercely. Reaching out, she patted Sharon's arm, hoping that the gesture would make their embrace seem less….torrid than it had actually been. She sighed regretfully, stepping out of the doorway and into the hallway to give them both some space.

Sharon awkwardly stuffed her hands into the pockets of her blazer. "You should get home. Brian gets cranky when he's hungry, I remember," she said, she was smiling but Andrea knew her well enough to know that it was a forced smile.

Andrea nodded and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Yeah. Well, goodnight," she managed to mutter before she turned on her heels, trying to get away from Sharon as quickly as she possibly could.

She didn't bother to wait for the elevator; she opted for the stairs. She didn't know what to do with Sharon anymore, every move was the wrong one, and it seemed like every time they started to regain their friendship, one of them slipped up irreparably. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Andrea shuffled through her front door, balancing her briefcase, jacket, and two bags of take out in her hands. "Will you take these, please?" she called out to her younger brother as she held the bags of food in front of her.

A well kept man with blonde hair appeared from the hallway, clad in a pair of dark jeans and an untucked navy blue button down shirt. His hair was cut short and his face shaved clean, and he had the same stunning bone structure and striking blue eyes as Andrea.

Brian kissed her roughly on the forehead and grabbed the bags, heading toward the kitchen before she could get a proper hello out. "Good day at work?" he called to her from the other room as he grabbed placemats and plates.

"Not really," she muttered back half-heartedly, slipping out of her high heels and untucking her blouse. Normally she was comforted by her younger brother's laidback presence, but tonight it just made her more on edge. She wasn't in the mood for questions or small talk; she didn't want to talk about her day, and she certainly hoped Sharon didn't come up. Still, she knew at the back of her mind that she probably would. He had already asked about Sharon's obvious absence once since he had arrived. Now that he'd been here for three days and there was still no sign of the Captain, she was sure to come up again.

"Not really? I thought you were closing a big case today, Andy. What happened?" he questioned her as she joined him in the kitchen and poured herself a generous glass of wine. She rolled her eyes at the mention of her nickname; few people in Los Angeles got away with calling her 'Andy'. It was reserved for family and the most intimate partners. Tonight, his casualty annoyed her. Then again, tonight, everything annoyed her.

"Nothing. I closed the case, it wasn't a big deal," she snapped at him in a way only a big sister could get away with. She grabbed utensils for herself and her brother and sauntered into the living room, balancing her wine glass and several Thai dishes in her other hand. "I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it. Did you find any shooting locations today?"

Brian watched her as she placed the take-out on her coffee table and slumped into her couch; she was paying more attention to drinking her wine as quickly as she could than to fixing her plate. "Scouted a couple of spots, but I'm not sure if they'll work. We found a great building downtown, but we have to see if it's structurally sound before we can use it. It's pretty decayed, which is what we want, but there was some concern about the floors being able to hold all the camera equipment we would need to do the action shots inside," he responded as he served himself and sat next to Andrea on the couch.

Andrea nodded, only half paying attention to the conversation. Brian could sense she was uninterested, which was odd for his older sister. Normally she took delight in hearing about his work.

"I saw the Chief of police on the news today. How's all that stuff going with Sharon in her department? She's the one Sharon's had to monitor, right?" he asked, hoping the change of subject back to Andrea's job and friends would spark her interest. He wasn't used to her being so listless. Brian watched as the colour drained from Andrea's face at the mention of the two women, though which one had affected her he didn't know. "Andy, are you alright?" he asked somewhat impatiently, fed up with Andrea's uninterested silence.

"I'm fine. Really," she sighed, "Uh... yes, for the past few months now Sharon had been tasked with keeping an eye on Chief Johnson and her department. It's going fine, I guess. I don't really speak to Sharon all that much anymore, but Chief Johnson will be joining me in my office soon. There was an...uh... incident last week and Chief Johnson will be stepping away from Major Crimes, but I'm thrilled she's going to be a part of my team. She's really very good at her job, so I know she'll be a great addition to the department." Andrea did her best to bury that she wasn't speaking to Sharon in the middle of her response, hoping Brian wouldn't catch it.

"Did you say that you weren't speaking to Sharon anymore?" Great. Of course that would be the one thing he'd pick out.

"It's nothing," Andrea said as she dug into her pad thai with a little more force than necessary, "sometimes friendships fall apart. Shit happens."

"Yeah, but, you two were best friends," he said, confused, "the last time I was here for a week, she came over four out of the seven days I was here. How do you go from that to not talking at all?"

"Things just change sometimes, Brian. People change. They grow apart. Sharon and I aren't a couple of girls in our twenties that can spend every waking moment together. We just... grew apart, okay?" Andrea repeated herself as she set her fork down in favour of her wine glass, draining its contents.

Was she trying to convince herself or Brian that all that had happened was a simple matter of two women growing apart? She knew, of course, that what had happened between them hadn't been so simple, but it was easier to brush it off as such. Most days she could pretend that really that was all that happened, then occasionally it would all come crashing down on her again; in the quiet moments when she wasn't busy with work, or when she looked over to the empty side of the bed and remembered what it looked like when Sharon had filled that spot. No, it was definitely easier to pretend Sharon was a friend she had simply...grown apart from, and each time she told that lie to someone else, it became that much easier to convince herself of it.

She rested her wine glass in her lap and pressed her the palm of her hand into her eyelids as she tried to force Sharon out of her head. Why did he care where she was? This was the last thing Andrea wanted to be discussing.

Brian contemplated his older sister's reaction as she pulled herself off the couch and stomped off into the kitchen for more wine, this time returning with the rest of the bottle. She sat a wine glass down in front of him as well and poured them both a healthy glass.

"So...if you aren't hanging around Sharon all the time... are you seeing anyone? I remember last time I was here you had a couple of women interested in you." He smirked at his sister as she took another long sip of wine. If he was honest, he was surprised she and Sharon weren't dating, but Andrea always had been bit of a lady killer for as long as Brian could remember. When they were teenagers and young adults, she _always_ had a date on Friday nights, it was something he had always been a bit jealous of. He learned very early on, when she moved out and got an apartment of her own, that it was imperative to _call_ before showing up at her place on any given evening. Even in her thirties and now in her forties, Andrea had never been short of female suitors, thus it was completely odd that she hadn't dated anyone in so long, or that she had and hadn't mentioned it to him.

Andrea gripped the edge of the table and rolled her eyes at her younger brother. "No. And I don't really want to talk about that either okay?" she said irritably.

"Andy, honey, are you okay? Did Sharon do something?" He asked concernedly. He knew that his big sister could take care of herself, but that didn't stop him from feeling protective of her.

"I'm not okay Brian. I am so not okay. Sharon and I….we…," she trailed off and turned her head so he couldn't see how flushed her cheeks were.

Brian put his glass down on the table. "Andy? You...you did?" Andrea nodded her head. "Oh Andy, I'm sorry. Come here," he said tugging her into an embrace. "It didn't end well I presume?"

"No," she sighed. "It's such a mess."

"Does she know how you feel about her?" Brian asked gently, rubbing Andrea's back. Andrea had never outright told him how she felt about Sharon Raydor, but his sister hadn't been especially great at hiding her feelings. He had seen the way they looked at each other, he had seen how close and how in sync they were. Brian had assumed there were deep, mutual, romantic feelings between the two women the first time Andrea had introduced him to Sharon last year. He hadn't anticipated holding his broken hearted sister the first time he met Sharon; he was positive she'd had the kind of feelings for Andrea that extended beyond friendship.

"She came over the evening I was shot. It just...happened. Neither one of us was thinking rationally, and then she stayed up thinking all night after we slept together, of course, because I asked her to stay. I was so stupid. I never should have let it happen, but I thought we wanted the same thing. She doesn't want to be anything more than friends now because we work together, and because she's a fucking coward, so that's what we're doing... very poorly I might add."

"Do you want to be friends with her?" Brian asked carefully.

"No, not exactly. I mean, I do, but I don't want to be _just_ friends." Andrea said as she sighed into his shoulder then let him go reluctantly. She crossed her legs on the couch and plucked nervously at the edge of the chenille throw sitting next to her; the same throw Sharon had cuddled under countless times before. "It's so complicated Brian, I don't know what the right thing to do is anymore. At first I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt because it's _Sharon_, and I tried to go back to being just friendly, but I can't. I just can't do it. If she were anyone else I would have cut my losses already, but...I can't walk away from her. And I feel like such an idiot for still wanting to be with her after everything that's happened. I've never needed anyone before, but I feel like I need her in my life still," she said miserably.

"You're not an idiot. You're the smartest, strongest women I've ever known. Relationships are messy Andy, even more so when the line between friendship and romance gets blurred. And needing someone doesn't make you weak, I'd be a total mess without Steph. If she decided one day that she wanted a divorce I don't know what I'd do," Brian said honestly. "Do you love her? Sharon?" he asked even more carefully.

"Yes. Very much," she said seriously, looking him in the eye. "But that doesn't matter. It's not what she wants. Or what she is willing to admit that she wants," she said quietly.

"Do you think she's just afraid?" he asked.

"I don't know what to think. Yes, she's afraid, that much I know. She doesn't take risks in her personal life, ever. She hates change and she hates feeling out of control, and she's just had the rug pulled out from beneath her feet at work, so she's on edge as it is. But I could swear Brian that sometimes she looks at me while we're at work and I feel like I'm the only person in the room. But then a second later she's back to being Captain Raydor and I'm just DDA Hobbs to her."

Brian ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "It makes sense I guess, her being reluctant to get involved with anyone. I mean, I know bits and pieces about her ex husband, so I guess I can see why she's afraid. But that doesn't give her the right to make you feel like shit Andy, and don't for a second think that it does."

"I know it doesn't, and I don't think that," she said irritably. "But what am I supposed to do? Force her to move in with me? Glue a ring to her finger? I've cut off all contact with her outside of work, which was painful enough to do thank you very much, but there is the inevitable fact that our offices are in constant contact," she growled.

"Wow, I'm not defending her actions, nor am I accusing you of letting her walk all over you. I'm just trying to understand this thing as an outsider," he said as he held his hands up defensively.

Andrea tucked her hair behind her ears and pinched the sides of her neck. "I know, I'm sorry. Thinking about it makes me angry, and talking about it isn't any easier. I appreciate you trying to help Brian, but I'm kind of over talking about Sharon, now, please."

Brian sighed and nodded his head; he knew not to push his sister when she was upset. "Alright, we can be done talking about Sharon."

"Good," she said, "now help yourself to that glass of wine and let's get ready to celebrate the start of the weekend," she said bitterly.

Brian held up his glass and clinked it against Andrea's silently. He wished he could offer her better answers and more comfort, but he knew the only person that could fix this with his sister was Sharon; that woman had always had an uncanny ability to understand and comfort Andrea better than anyone else.

"Did you still want to go sailing this weekend, Andy?" he asked quietly as he watched her swirl the contents of her wine glass around.

"Sure, sounds good to me," she muttered.

He sighed; this was obviously the way the rest of the evening was going to go-he would attempt to make conversation and she would shoot him down. Maybe a movie was in order, that way at least Andrea could tune out to something pleasant and distracting.

"Come on," he muttered, "You're not going to sit there and get drunk just so you can be miserable tomorrow." He handed his older sister a pillow and watched sadly as she tucked it under her chin and embraced it with both arms, then he moved to her entertainment stand to pick out one of her favourite movies. He grabbed the remote and plopped down next to her and threw the chenille blanket over himself; he knew Andrea wouldn't need it.

As the opening credits for _Annie Hall_ rolled on the screen, Andrea tucked her head into her little brother's shoulder and sighed contentedly. At least she could turn her brain off for a little while.


	7. Chapter 7

"Captain Raydor, is now a good time?" Andrea knocked on Sharon's door.

"What? What do you mean? Well I don't care, rush the results. I needed them three hours ago," Sharon barked into the phone. She noticed Andrea standing in her doorway and motioned for her to have a seat. "Fine, call me as soon as they're in tomorrow," she gritted out before hanging up a bit more forcefully than normal.

Andrea regarded the Captain as she removed her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I guess now is not a good time?"

Sharon sighed. "I'm so sorry, did we have a meeting today?" she asked apologetically. The only upside of her taking in a foster child and running a department full of cranky officers lately was that she'd been so busy there hadn't been any time for her to dwell on her friendship - or lack thereof lately - with Andrea. They'd defaulted to strict professionalism in the last few weeks.

"No, we didn't. It's just that I have my meeting with Stroh's lawyers and the judge tomorrow. We're to talk about sentencing and I need to be able to reference a commanding officer in the investigation, and since Chief Johnson's retirement-"

"It's fallen to me, yes," Sharon said, "How much time do you need?" she asked.

"I need you completely up to date with the evidence, I need to be able to say that you've read both Stroh's statement and that you've gone over all the reports made by the officers who interviewed Mr. Stroh," Andrea said as she reached into her briefcase for her folder. "It really shouldn't take more than an hour or two. You're already familiar with most of the evidence and reports."

"Okay, let's get this done with," Sharon said.

"Tough day?" Andrea dared to ask; she hadn't asked Sharon a question outside of strictly professional guidelines for weeks.

"The lab is taking forever to get my results back to me. And seeing as our suspect is a minor, eventually I am going to have to let him go. The clock is ticking and...just...," Sharon sighed, then policed herself back to pure professionalism. "Yes. It's been an especially difficult day."

Andrea spread the paperwork out across Sharon's desk, offering her Stroh's statement and the stack of corresponding testimonies. "I'm sorry to add to the burden. I tried to call, but I kept getting your voicemail. I thought I'd try my luck and head over here. I just don't want to push this meeting with the judge back anymore. The longer we drag this out, the worse it's going to be for everyone involved," Andrea said sympathetically, referring mostly to Sharon's new foster son.

She didn't dare name Rusty as a concern, she knew she had no right to. Sharon's living situation with the boy was none of Andrea's business, nor was his, or Sharon's, well being. She'd heard that Sharon had taken Rusty in as a foster son from Andy Flynn. She couldn't help the flutter of worry she felt for both Sharon and Rusty. She had seen how volatile Rusty had been when they'd first picked him up; as much as she respected Sharon for taking him in, Andrea knew that the last thing Sharon needed right now was the added stress of raising an especially challenging foster child.

Sharon seemed to soften at the indirect mention of Rusty. "Well, time could do Rusty some good, to be honest with you," Sharon sighed as she took the papers from Andrea, careful to avoid touching her hand. "I've finally gotten him into school and settled down a bit. We're finding a routine. I know the trial has to happen, but I'm looking forward to a little bit of normalcy...or something like normalcy for him. Rusty is a good kid. You forget that I raised two of my own while I was working full time in Internal Affairs," Sharon sat back in her chair and crossed her legs as she looked over the witness testimonies, glancing over each one briefly.

Andrea watched her carefully as she read, annoyed somewhat that Sharon responded to her subtle concern without any real prompting. Andrea hated when she did that; when Sharon knew what she was talking about even before she did. Sometimes it seemed like Sharon knew Andrea better than Andrea did; it drove her insane.

"Well, yes, I understand that Rusty probably needs some time, but as a material witness, it would be best if he-"

Andrea's polite argument was cut off by a sharp knocking at Sharon's door, and then the appearance of Lt. Tao's head. "Uh, Captain? Flynn just caught a witness. Suspect's girlfriend; says she can verify his alibi. We've got her in interview room one with Sanchez."

"Uh, okay. Thank you, Lt. Tao," Sharon muttered, looking up from the paperwork in front of her to nod at him. "Please tell Detective Sanchez to get her to record her statement of facts for us. I've have to finish things up here with DDA Hobbs."

Andrea waited until Sharon's attention was focused back on her. "As I was saying, as a material witness, the sooner that the trial starts, the sooner it can end. I am sure that he's ready to put it behind him as well," she said sympathetically as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "And the sooner perhaps he can start therapy of some kind. I um, I have a friend of a friend who is a therapist; she specializes with children who have endured trauma or survived abusive domestic situations. If you want her number, just let me know?" Andrea offered, she hoped that she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Sharon opened her mouth, then closed it; she straightened her posture in her chair and tried again. "Oh, um, thank you. I don't know that Rusty is ready to talk to a therapist, in fact I don't know that he will be any time soon. But, I appreciate the gesture. I really do," Sharon said genuinely.

"It's no problem. There are some things, some cases, that never get easier to deal with over the years. He's so young, and I just…," she shook her head and cleared her throat. "Please do let me know if he would like to attend therapy," she said quietly. She found herself wanting to ask more questions about Rusty, she wanted to know how Sharon was adjusting to life as a single mother again, but she knew it wasn't her place anymore. She hummed to herself, unsure of what else to say.

"So, I'm assuming that a drawback to this case is that Rusty was the only-"

"Sorry Captain," Lt. Tao apologized as he craned his neck around Sharon's office door one more time. " Buzz got a read on the license plates from the abandoned car parked in front of the house last night at the time of the murders. Do you want us to run a search?"

Sharon let out a quiet sigh and brushed her hair out of her face. "Uh, yes. You and Detective Sykes can try to locate the car with Buzz, please. Lt.s Flynn and Provenza have already dealt with the evidence we've got in holding for now, so if they don't mind working overtime, they can assist Detective Sykes or Detective Sanchez." She schooled her tone so that it was professional; she knew Tao was only doing exactly what she'd asked him to do, but she couldn't help her frustration at the constant interruptions. At this rate, She and Andrea were never going to get through these testimonies for the Stroth case in time for Andrea's meeting tomorrow morning. And, if Sharon was being honest with herself, Andrea's presence wasn't helping her tension at all.

"I'm sorry, DDA Hobbs," she muttered as Lt. Tao closed her office door one more time.

"It's fine," Andrea said nonchalantly. She could see how stressed Sharon was, the lines around her face were noticeably deeper, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked as though she had lost some weight recently.

"As I was saying, Rusty was the only witness in both places to see Stroh. Is Chief..._former_ Chief Johnson's... heightened interest in Stroh going to be problematic with her being a witness?" Sharon asked honestly as she put her glasses back on to look at the witness testimonies side by side.

"It could be," Andrea said honestly, "she assaulted him in the elevator in front of half a dozen witnesses, and prior to that incident it was known that Chief Johnson was rather interested in his activities and whereabouts. Now, her intuition did prove to be correct, however, Stroh's lawyers will focus on her, as you said, heightened interest in him."

"So Rusty really will be the key witness in all of this," Sharon said carefully, contemplating the pressure that was going to be on her foster son in the coming months with this trial. "It really will be up to him to put Stroh behind bars." Sharon took her glasses off for the second time in their conversation and pressed her palms into her temples, trying to relieve some of the pressure building behind her eyes. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she heard yet another hesitant knock at her office door.

"Come in," Sharon called, recognizing the shape of the teen through her partially opened blinds.

"Hey, Sharon," Rusty said awkwardly as he looked at DDA Hobbs. He'd only dealt with her a handful of times, but he liked Hobbs well enough. She didn't sugar coat anything, she was direct, honest, and precise, which he appreciated in a person.

"You think we can maybe grab dinner now?" he asked. "It's like past 6:00 pm?"

"Yes, I uh," Sharon looked apologetically at Andrea, "what time do you have to meet with the judge tomorrow?" she asked.

"9:00 am," Andrea answered.

Rusty shuffled awkwardly in the doorway. "Why don't you come with us? Do you like burgers? Sharon and I were going to have hamburgers tonight," Rusty offered.

Sharon looked carefully at Andrea and sighed. They needed to get the paperwork done anyway, and she had to feed Rusty. "I'm sure you need to eat dinner, right? We can finish this while Rusty finishes his homework," she said as Rusty rolled his eyes at the mention of homework. Sharon felt more than a little ashamed for feeling the need to subtly point out that she and Andrea would not be alone this evening. The colour flushed in her cheeks as she waited for Andrea's response.

"Okay, I can do that," Andrea agreed, doing her best to keep her tone casual. She felt a knot tightening in her stomach as soon as she said yes.

Rusty shrugged the other strap of his backpack over his shoulder as the two women gathered their things. "Hey, DDA Hobbs, have you ever been to 25 Degrees before?" he asked as the three of them made their way to the elevator.

"That's the place where you can build your own burger from scratch? Yes, I've been before, and you can call me Andrea," she said gently.

"Okay, uh, thanks Andrea," he nodded, affording her a slight smile.

"Right, do you want to follow me there and meet me at my condo after, Andrea?" Sharon asked carefully. Carpooling was out of the question; there was no way she was going to allow herself to end up in a car alone with Andrea Hobbs later on when she would have to drive her home. If she could help it, she wouldn't end up alone with Andrea Hobbs at all tonight. If they worked quickly after dinner while Rusty was studying, they could be done and she could be out the door before Rusty went to bed. Or so Sharon hoped.

"Well, we'll see you at the restaurant, then." Sharon raised her eyebrows at Andrea as if to say _Are we really doing this?_ She couldn't hide the questioning look on her face as she waited for the blonde's approval that she would see them there.

Andrea nodded "That'll be fine," she reassured Sharon, hoping she sounded casual, like she was talking about their evening plans and the possibility of getting all their work done, rather than their constant, volatile back and forth when it came to one another these days.

***

"Let me know when you're done with the, um, eye-witness report and we'll go over the police reports," Andrea said as she unpacked her briefcase on Sharon's coffee table. She handed the file that contained notes on Rusty's testimony over to Sharon so she could read. Behind them, Rusty was sitting at the kitchen table pouring over a textbook and notepad.

Sharon propped her bare feet up on the coffee table and leaned into the couch as she read. She was exhausted from the day; as much as she wanted to keep it strictly professional with Andrea, she couldn't stand sitting up right any more.

"Here," she muttered, handing Andrea Rusty's testimony as she finished it. "That was, informative," she sighed, the weight of what Rusty had gone through hitting her hard. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the couch to collect herself for a moment. Reading the case was now very different for Sharon than it had been a month ago; Rusty wasn't her foster son a month ago, he was merely an unruly witness. She had grown accustomed to Rusty in her home and in her life, every day he was becoming more and more a staple in it. A sweet, kind, caring staple at that. They had their moments of strife, but overall Rusty was a good kid, and a kid Sharon was beginning to care deeply for. She hated that he had already experienced so much suffering in his young life.

"I know... I'm sorry." Andrea nodded sympathetically as she laid the police reports out across the table at Sharon's feet. "These will not be any easier to read, just so you're forewarned. I'm sorry you have to do this."

"That's fine," she hummed quietly as she sat up and propped her elbows on her knees to look at the reports. "Have you heard from... from the other witness lately? I haven't. Is... are they okay?" Sharon asked quietly, trying to stay as cryptic as possible. She hadn't really heard from Brenda much since the incident with Stroh in the elevator. While she and Brenda could never claim to be good friends, she had been worried about Brenda's well being. She respected her as an officer, but more so than that, she respected that Brenda had pursued the case against Stroh and sacrificed her career with the LAPD to bring this monster to justice. She could even admit, to a point, that she missed Brenda. She had grown accustomed to that languid drawl constantly throwing complaints her way. Yes, in some ways her life was less complicated without Brenda Leigh Johnson in it, but in others it had become endlessly more complicated thanks to her absence. She didn't necessarily want Brenda back in her life as a coworker again; though she certainly wouldn't mind having her around as a friend someday. Admittedly she did have a rather protective need to know that the other woman was okay, and flourishing in her new position.

Andrea nodded knowingly, trying to find a way to phrase her answer without letting on to Rusty that she was speaking about Brenda. "The other witness is doing as well as they can be, given the circumstances. They are... seeking the appropriate treatment for any emotional damage that may have been caused, and they've moved on to other things. Things are looking up, I think. They are going to be just fine, Sharon."

Andrea smiled at Sharon and sat back on the couch as she took a sip of the cappuccino Sharon had made her. She had sat in this very spot so many times before sipping Sharon's cappuccinos; Sharon always made them for her after their dinners because she knew they were her favourite. This evening, Sharon had walked in the door and made her one without Andrea even asking; it almost felt like they'd gone back to being friends. Except that they had a sixteen year old unknowing chaperon, and they were here, on her couch, on strictly "professional" terms.

Sharon ran her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm herself up as she loomed over the coffee table; she had discarded her jacket and shoes by the door and hadn't taken the time she usually did to change into something warmer or more comfortable than her skirt and silk shirt. Without thinking twice, Andrea grabbed the cream coloured cable knit throw Sharon always kept on the back of the couch and tossed it gently at her, smirking.

Sharon froze. She had been enjoying their easy familiarity since settling on the couch together, but this was perhaps a little too familiar, too soon.

"What?" Andrea shrugged, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "You looked cold," she said defensively.

Sharon softened her gaze. "I was cold, thank you."

Sharon looked back as Rusty began to shove his notebook and textbooks into his backpack. "Rusty, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go listen to music in my room for a while before I go to bed," he muttered, picking up the last of his things.

"Oh, finished your homework already?" Sharon asked, hoping to sound casual.

"Yeah, all done. Night Sharon." He started down the hallway, "Night Andrea, thanks for coming to dinner with us," he said as he made his way into his room.

"It was my pleasure. Night Rusty," Andrea replied politely.

Beside her, Sharon cleared her throat. "How many more police reports are there? Do we have a lot of documents left?" she asked nervously.

"Not very many, we're nearly done and I then I can get out of your hair," Andrea joked, leaning back on the couch. "Rusty seems to be adjusting well here." She defaulted to her usual safe topic: Sharon's kids. Rusty was obviously becoming one of Sharon's kids very quickly, Andrea thought discussing him might keep Sharon comfortable while they finished working.

"He is doing pretty well," Sharon mused, looking down the hallway in the direction of his door. "Like I said, we've gotten into a routine. The first couple of weeks were hard, but I think we're finding a mutual respect for each other. He's adjusting well to authority. I think a part of him appreciates the it; god knows he needed the security."

Andrea nodded as she fished the last of the documents out of her briefcase and replaced the ones Sharon had already looked over. "That's good to hear. After all he's been through, I'm sure a loving home is going to do him a world of good. You're doing a wonderful thing, Sharon." Andrea reached for Sharon's hand and squeezed it gently, then, realizing what she had done, she retreated.

Sharon cleared her throat again. "Thanks for coming with us to that burger place. It meant a lot to him, he loves it there," she said; she took Andrea's retreating hand back and ran her thumb across Andrea's knuckles.

Andrea shrugged. "It was no problem." She pursed her lips and looked down into her lap, at their entwined fingers.

Sharon looked down the hallway again, then back at Andrea; the need to be close to her was overwhelming. She found the same hunger in Andrea's eyes when their gazes met; she wasn't sure who moved forward first, but the next moment they were so close that their breaths mingled, and their noses lightly collided. Sharon tilted her head carefully and planted one single, gentle kiss along Andrea's jaw line, closing her eyes as she did it. She reveled in the feeling of Andrea's skin under her lips again; she moved closer to Andrea on the couch and littered her jawline with sweet, soft kisses, too afraid to make the move to her lips. She was shaking with the effort to keep her lips gentle, her movements controlled; the urge to surrender her control was so, so strong.

Andrea sighed softly, and turned her head to capture Sharon's lips in a proper kiss. She dropped Sharon's hand to tangle her fingers in those soft auburn curls, while her other hand sought out Sharon's waist. Beneath her lips, Sharon opened her mouth and welcomed Andrea's tongue with a muffled groan. Andrea's heart soared and she began to contemplate that perhaps her lover had returned to her.

Andrea felt Sharon's hands tug frantically at her shirt as she tried to untuck it from her trousers. Just as Andrea was beginning to feel Sharon's fingertips dance along her stomach under her hastily untucked shirt, the door to the spare room opened and closed.

They flew apart, hands desperately trying to comb hair back down and tuck shirts back in as Rusty came stomping into the living room again.

"Hey Sharon, have you seen my iPod? I can't find it anywhere in my room?" Rusty asked.

"It's um, you left it on my desk," Sharon answered quickly. She hoped that the rapid beating of her heart was audible only to herself.

"Oh, cool. Thanks. Night again," he said, barely looking at the two women on the couch as he grabbed his iPod and retreated back into his room.

Sharon turned her attention to Andrea who was breathing heavily through her nostrils, her lips were pursed again and her eyes were blazing.

"What the fuck was that, Sharon?" she demanded roughly.

"I...I don't know," Sharon answered nervously.

Andrea raked her fingers through her hair frustrated. "Sharon we need to talk about this, I mean really talk about it," she said.

"We've talked already," Sharon muttered, refusing to look at Andrea. She shifted backwards on the couch and grabbed a pillow to wrap her arms around. "We're friends Andrea," she said stubbornly.

"Friends who can't be trusted to stay in a room together alone for longer than five minutes before they start jumping on one another. That isn't normal Sharon," Andrea insisted. "Sharon, I miss you. I miss being with you, and I don't just mean as your friend," she said.

Sharon hugged the pillow even tighter to her chest and she shook her head in the negative. "And what happens when you grow tired of me?" she asked in a small voice. "When you find someone or something else to occupy your time with and I'm left alone? Without a lover. Without my friend. What happens then?"

"Is that what this is about? You're afraid?" Andrea asked bluntly. "Sharon, I'm not your ex husband," she stated.

Sharon shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "I didn't say that you were," she said. "I know that you're not -"

"But you're implying that I'll do what he did. Do you really think so low of me?"

Sharon looked at her a little tearfully. "I could never think so low of you."

Andrea let out a frustrated half-sob, half-laugh and grabbed her briefcase. "Fine. That's how you want to do this? Fine. Have these documents," she gestured to the unread reports, "delivered to my office tomorrow morning, no later than 8:00 am."

Sharon watched, sick to her stomach, as Andrea grabbed her jacket and shoes so she could leave. A part of her wanted to beg Andrea to stay; she wanted to drag her back to her bedroom and make love to her like she had the first time they spent the night together, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She fiddled with the corner of the document in her hand and bit her lip, trying to find any words at all. "I, look, Andrea I'm-"

"It isn't fair, Sharon. I'm done with you fucking with me. I miss you, but I can't keep doing this. I can't see you outside of work anymore, I mean it," she said softly before leaving the condo, and Sharon, behind.

Sharon sat and stared at her sliding glass door, stunned by the sudden silence. She didn't think lowly of Andrea at all; in fact, it had been a series of constant, delightful surprises at how different Andrea was from Jackson. Sharon couldn't possibly begin to explain what she had meant; for all her intelligence, for all her insight, at times, she was terrible at getting the right words out.

She hadn't been comparing Andrea to Jackson, she didn't rationally believe that Andrea would do the same things that he had done during the course of their marriage. She knew better than that, but still, there was the constant, irrational, ridiculous tugging at her heart that left her fearful of trusting another person completely. She'd given everything she had once before, and she'd lost everything. Her marriage, her home, her money, and her sense of security. She'd very nearly lost her children's trust when she told them she wasn't divorcing their addict of a father. She needed Andrea in her life, but she'd convinced herself that having Andrea as her friend was a far safer option - for both women - than having Andrea in her life as her lover. She had recovered from the disappointment of her marriage falling apart, she had recovered from losing someone that she had once adored and been proud to call her spouse; she feared, deep down, that she might never recover should she go through losing Andrea.

No, truthfully it wasn't about _Andrea_ at all. Sharon wasn't convinced that she had it in her to give Andrea what she needed, not the other way around.


	8. Chapter 8

"So he's still not going anywhere?" Lt. Provenza asked as he glared disapprovingly outside her office.

Sharon worried her lip and looked at the older man sitting across from her over her glasses. "No, he apparently is not going anywhere, if his occupancy of the break room for the last," she checked her wristwatch quickly, "hour and a half is any indication."

"Huh?" Provenza asked. "Oh, you're talking about Dunn. I was referring to the politician who is littering my desk with his paperwork," he grumbled.

"Trust me, I want him gone too," Sharon said, smirking up at Provenza from the file she was holding. "I can't seem to find anything unusual about Mr. Hanson's phone records," she mumbled as she surveyed the file once again.

"Yeah, his credit report checks out too," he said, waving the papers in his hands. "Could it be that Mr. Hanson actually was a decent young man?" he asked sarcastically.

Sharon chuckled. "Believe it or not, there are some decent people out there."

Provenza rubbed his eyes in frustration and placed the victim's credit report back into its folder.

"An hour and a half huh? Jesus, this guy just can't take a hint, can he?" Provenza grumbled under his breath, referring to the sudden arrival of Rusty's father. Nobody liked the idea of Daniel Dunn suddenly coming to claim Rusty as his biological son.

"No, and neither can our _guest_ today," she said as she surveyed Mr. Felton sitting at Amy's desk, typing away on his iPhone. "But really, how much longer must we entertain him? Surely he'll have to leave at some point?" she asked.

Provenza chuckled darkly. "Seeing as he's Taylor's special guest, I doubt he's going anywhere soon," he muttered dryly. "Anyway, our pimp, Mr. Alvarez is lawyered up and ready to go. We need to question him sooner rather than later. Flynn has them set up in interview room one," Provenza reminded her.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me. I need to call the DA's office-"

"Already taken care of. I called Hobbs directly," he said, "Ah, speak of the devil from the DA's office herself, here she is," he said as he focused his attention on the blonde who was walking towards the pair of them.

DDA Hobbs walked in to Sharon's office, holding her briefcase in front of her, almost like a shield. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Lt. Provenza," she said quickly, avoiding eye contact with Sharon as she did it. "But you did call rather last minute and I was stuck in my office with wrapping up another case. Nevertheless, I'm here now." She could feel the tension radiating off of Sharon as she stood in her office, so she turned her attention towards Lt. Provenza, hoping that he would bring her up to speed on the day's events quickly so she could get on with her work.

"Well, we just need to get this wrapped up as soon as we can," he grumbled in his usual, curmudgeonly fashion. He was never one to hide his annoyance and now certainly wasn't an exception seeing as Andrea was over an hour late. "So that I can send Mr. Felton on his merry way. Jackass keeps putting his things on _my_ desk when the Captain very clearly indicated that he was to use Sykes' desk," he muttered. "Anyway, the Captain here can give you some more information on the suspect, I'm going to meet Buzz in electronics, we're going to interview the suspect in a few minutes."

Sharon sat down at her desk and folded her hands in her lap, trying to keep her cool as she was left alone with Andrea. For the last several Sharon had been avoiding using Andrea in ongoing investigations. Sharon arranged a stack of files on her desk and stared at her computer screen for a moment before carefully regarding the blonde standing across from her.

"Is there...anything I need to know about the suspect?" Andrea asked coolly. She wasn't enjoying this anymore than Sharon was. In fact, the last person she'd wanted to see right now was Sharon. It meant a lot more time spent at her desk and in the courtroom, but she was fine with that. Life was finally starting to feel next to normal again. She missed Sharon terribly, but life completely without her was easier than life half with her.

"Right now we are holding a Mr. Alvarez in custody for questioning. He's a pimp who controls several underage girls; our witness, Elena, one of the girls he's been selling on the streets, fled from the bathroom of our victim, Derek Hanson's home last night. Derek runs a safe house for sex workers and was found murdered by Hollywood Division," Sharon answered her with an even, controlled tone.

Though her tone was certainly professional enough, Sharon couldn't bring herself to look at Andrea. She feared if she looked at her, she may come unglued; that her professional facade would crumble. Not seeing Andrea for that many weeks felt like a death of sorts to Sharon. She had certainly lost something precious and irreplaceable. _Focus, Sharon_, she chided herself. She wouldn't do this. She closed her eyes for a short moment and schooled her features, then finally turned her face toward Andrea, doing her best to wear a pleasant, professional expression.

"Okay, and it's my understanding that I am here as an advisor to the case, correct?" Andrea sighed as she met Sharon's gaze.

"Yes. Assistant Chief Taylor has some rather interesting _guests_ accompanying him in my murder room this afternoon, so Lt. Provenza thought it best to have some extra legal counsel nearby. You know how Assistant Chief Taylor can get with his... political friends," Sharon explained.

"So, am I here to actually work with the suspect, or to babysit a politician all day?" Andrea asked dryly. She didn't mind helping the Major Crimes division out usually, but the current circumstances combined with Assistant Chief Taylor's usual attitude meant she was less than willing to waste a day playing nanny to any special guests rather than doing actual legal work.

Sharon regarded her patiently. "We have reason to believe that Mr. Alvarez is the guilty suspect, we will need you to collaborate with us on sentencing for him as well, as soon as we elicit a confession from him. In the meantime, any help that you could offer us in dealing with Mr. Felton would be most appreciated," she said calmly.

Andrea pursed her lips as she contemplated her response to the older woman. "Very well," she said. "I'll be in electronics with the other members of your division should you need to discuss anything with me," she said coolly before turning on her heel and exiting Sharon's office.

Sharon closed her eyes and exhaled carefully. She silently counted to ten, took a deep breath, then exhaled again; she willed herself to let go of all thoughts of Andrea Hobbs as the air steadily left her lungs.

Andrea rolled over, aggravated as hell, to snatch her cellphone from her nightstand. Whoever it was that was calling this late was going to get an earful from a very irate DDA. Who the hell called someone at 1:00 am on a Saturday morning? Her family all lived on the East coast, so it could not possibly be them as it was an even more obscene hour where they were. Upon seeing the caller ID, she let out a stream of curse words under her breath. Sharon Raydor had some nerve to be calling her at such an hour, especially when they'd cut off contact completely from one another outside of work, and almost entirely at work as well. She tossed her phone back onto the nightstand and rolled over, feeling irritable and restless.

Her phone stopped ringing, and Andrea let out a relieved sigh. But seconds later, her phone started ringing again. She was torn between being aggravated, angry, and a little bit concerned. Even when they were friends, Sharon _never_ called this late unless something was wrong. Swallowing her pride, she snatched her phone again.

"I know we're not on the best of terms, and I promise you I'm not calling just for the hell of it," Sharon rushed through an obviously rehearsed greeting, "but I need your help Andrea. You're the only person I can trust right now, the only other person who knows his history and who Rusty can trust. He was physically assaulted by his father, and...I..." her voice broke.

Andrea sat up straighter in bed; she felt a wave of panic and nausea wash over her at hearing Sharon's words. "Calm down and take a deep breath; does he need to visit a hospital? Do you need me to send an on-call therapist?" Andrea asked; her own voice was noticeably groggy.

"No, the cuts aren't deep enough to warrant stitches. And I don't think that he will react well to an on-call." Sharon said shakily. Andrea heard her clear her throat before continuing. "I was able to clean and bandage him up here. I took photos before that though. Andrea, I need to know what Rusty's legal options are because so help me if there isn't a way to ensure that Daniel doesn't come near him ever again I am going to drive over there and shoot him," Sharon ground out.

"Don't do that," Andrea said seriously. She knew how protective Sharon was of her children, and Rusty was now one of her children, as far as anyone was concerned. "Let me think for a second," she requested. She quickly ran through the basics of what she knew about parental rights and custody, trying to find a loophole or law to their advantage. "Can you come by my office on Monday morning? Around 8:00 am? Bring Rusty and you might as well bring Provenza. I think I have an idea but we'll need to make sure Rusty is okay with it, and I'll need tomorrow to make sure that I have all the necessary paperwork, and that what I have in mind is in fact possible," she explained.

"Okay. Okay, I can do that," Sharon said, nodding frantically. "We can do that. Lt. Provenza is usually in the office around then anyway, I'll call him tomorrow and ask him to meet us."

"You're going to have to take a few more photos of Rusty tomorrow morning. Any...trauma to his body will show even more the next day," Andrea said gently.

Sharon took a shaky breath in. "Yes, of course. Thank you Andrea," she said, "I, I know that I'm the last person you want to speak to at this hour, but...thank you."

Andrea weighed her words carefully. "You're welcome. And Sharon? It's going to be okay. I promise you that even if Rusty isn't comfortable with what I have in mind, I won't let his father have legal custody over him. I promise," she said firmly.

"Okay," Sharon said, relief washed over her; she knew that she could count on Andrea. Even though their friendship had fallen apart, Sharon knew that she had been right in trusting her to help protect Rusty. "I'll see you on Monday."

"You will," Andrea vowed.

Sharon kept a protective hand on Rusty's shoulder as they walked down the long hallway to Andrea's corner office. She couldn't help it; she felt like she had failed to protect him when he most needed it, now all she wanted was to stay as close to him as she could. Rusty humored her and allowed her to keep it there as they knocked on Andrea's closed office door and waited for an answer.

"Come in," Andrea called from behind her desk. Lt. Provenza was already sitting in her office, fiddling with the lid on his disposable cup of gas station coffee.

"Captain." He nodded at Sharon as she walked in to the office with Rusty, finally letting him go only when they were safe inside those four walls. "Hey Rusty, why don't you have a seat and let me stretch my legs a bit," he got up and patted the back of the chair, giving Rusty a warm, sympathetic smile.

Rusty nodded and sat down. He couldn't hide that he was uncomfortable, but he knew he had to cooperate despite his discomfort. Sharon had explained to him that Andrea had taken time out of her weekend to help come up with a plan of action for him.

"I know that this is an uncomfortable situation, for everyone," Andrea began carefully. "But I have an idea for how we can fix this so Rusty never has to see Daniel Dunn again, if that's what he wants. Rusty, is that what you want?"

"Well yeah," Rusty muttered, "I don't want to see him again." Rusty crossed his arms over his chest and concentrated on his shoes.

Andrea watched Rusty for a moment, then looked between Sharon and Lt. Provenza to make sure they were paying attention. "Sharon sent me the photos of what Daniel did to you, Rusty, over the weekend. That is grounds for child abuse, easy. There's no question about it, and that means that there could be a way to get him to voluntarily sign away his parental rights." Andrea sat back in her chair as she went over the details one more time in her head.

"Okay, we're listening," Sharon muttered, leaning forward against the desk. She had taken the seat next to Rusty when they entered.

"You said his fiancée has two young daughters, right? Surely this woman is not going to want a convicted child abuser around her children, or at least we can hope. If you can manage to get a spontaneous confession out of him," she suggested, looking at Lt. Provenza, "You and Captain Raydor can use it for leverage to get him to sign away his rights. If he refuses, you have every right and reason to arrest him for child abuse. DCFS won't have any choice once charges have been pressed; they'll deem him an unfit guardian for Rusty. I am certain that it can work." She regarded Rusty carefully for a moment. "Rusty, this is where I am going to have to ask you to be incredibly brave, should Daniel try and call you, I would like you to ignore his calls. But, should Daniel come in to speak with Sharon so he can try and set up a meeting with you, I would like you to allow this to happen."

"No," Rusty said. "No way, you said you were going to make sure I never had to see him again," he shouted.

Andrea nodded patiently. "Yes, and I promise that this will be the eventual outcome. However, you need to communicate to Daniel that it is your wish to have him sign away his parental rights," she explained. "I am sure that Sharon and Lt. Provenza would be more than willing to sit in on this meeting, if that would make you more comfortable."

"Yeah, the Captain, myself, and our fully loaded guns," Provenza ground out.

Sharon placed a gentle hand on Rusty's forearm and looked him in the eye, trying to block out the other two people in the room. "Look at me, Rusty," she said quietly. "You and I. You know our deal. I don't lie to you. I will be with you, Lt. Provenza will be with you. We will be there, every step of the way. We will not leave you. We will make sure that Daniel Dunn is gone for good with this meeting."

Rusty watched her for a moment, searching for something he could believe in her eyes. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sharon; he inherently didn't trust anyone. "You promise you won't leave me alone with him?"

Sharon nodded her head and took his hand in hers so she could squeeze it gently. "I promise, Rusty."

Lt. Provenza cleared his throat behind Sharon and nodded at Rusty in agreement. "Me too, Rusty. I promise, kid." He clapped Rusty on the shoulder lightly. "Now uh, we need to get Rusty to school, don't we, Captain?" he said to Sharon.

"Yes, he's missing his first class but his gym teacher is expecting him to be there for 10:00 am," Sharon confirmed.

"Tell you what Rusty, why don't we take a drive, let's go get some breakfast and then I'll take you to class myself, what do you say?"

Rusty smiled weakly. "I don't want to be any trouble..." he trailed off shrugging. To be honest, he was a bit nervous going to school today with the bruises and cuts on his face.

"Trouble?" Provenza chuckled, "Why would it be any trouble? I have a civic duty to ensure that our youth are attending class on time, and to, well, make sure that they're well fed," he said sternly, though the tone of his voice betrayed the affectionate twinkle in his eyes.

Rusty fiddled with his schoolbag and shrugged. "Okay. That'd be cool," he said.

"Come on now, the early bird special ends damn early on weekdays," Provenza scoffed as he lead Rusty out of Andrea's office. Before closing the door on the two women, he nodded to Sharon.

Sharon sat back in her chair and rested her head in one hand, sighing quietly. "Andrea I cannot thank you enough. I will make sure that Rusty meets with Daniel Dunn one last time so that it is clear that we all want his rights signed away," she reassured Andrea quietly.

"I know it isn't going to be easy for him, but it's the best way to move forward quickly without a custody hearing," Andrea said as she eyed Sharon critically. She had to admit, Sharon looked like hell. Her eyes were sunken and lined with black circles; she was even thinner than the last time she'd seen her. Andrea paused as she watched Sharon rub her forehead with her thumb. "Did you sleep at all this weekend?" she asked gently. She knew that she might be overstepping her bounds, but she willing to take a risk, given the circumstances.

"Barely," Sharon laughed darkly. "Ricky was going to visit so we could have dinner last night for he and Rusty to meet, but I had to call and ask him not to come. I didn't get into details, just explained that there had been with Rusty's biological father. He understood, just...I was so looking forward to Rusty starting to get to know his father, and my own kids, and for him to start building a life for himself." She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, obviously fighting to regain her composure. "I'm sorry for calling so late," she said again. "But, I didn't know who else to call," she admitted quietly.

"Sharon..." Andrea pursed her lips, contemplating how to properly regard her...what was Sharon? Friend? Colleague? Lover? All of those things and yet lately, none of those things. "It's alright. Really... I would have rather you called me than anyone else. I mean that. We will get this figured out and make sure that Rusty is safe." Andrea wanted to reach across the desk and hold Sharon's hand, but she didn't dare make contact with her. She tucked her hands into her lap instead and stared back at Sharon mournfully. "Rusty is an amazing kid; the last few months, spending time with him while working on the Stroh case…I've become fond of him," Andrea admitted.

Sharon smiled. "He does tend to grow on you," she said softly, fondly. "I find myself grateful every day for having him in my home, in my life."

"I do have to ask, though... what do you plan to do with Rusty after Daniel Dunn has signed away his parental rights, Sharon? Will you be taking on that role permanently? It's quite obvious how deeply you have come to care about Rusty..." Andrea trailed off, unsure of what she was really asking Sharon.

"I have put some thought into it, though probably not as much as I need to," Sharon admitted quietly, "I do care very deeply for Rusty. I would like him to stay with me for as long as he wants to stay. I don't know what that looks like yet; if I become his permanent foster mother, or if I adopt him, or what... I just know that right now, I need him away from Daniel. I need him safe, Andrea."

Andrea sighed as Sharon stared past her, focusing her gaze at the window behind Andrea's desk; her head was clearly elsewhere. Andrea's heart felt heavy; all she wanted to do was fix this for Sharon, to help keep Rusty safe.

The first and only dinner she had shared with them at 25 Degrees had almost been simple; it had definitely been happy. They had shared stories and laughed and conversation had flowed naturally between her and Sharon as Rusty joked and complained about school. Andrea would give almost anything to go back to that evening where, for an hour, she and Sharon and Rusty sat in that restaurant and pretended like everything was normal and fine; that she and Sharon were still friends and Rusty was safe and unharmed.

Of course, fixing things for Sharon and Rusty still didn't fix things between her and Sharon, but it was a step. Perhaps it was a false hope, but Sharon calling Andrea for help _had_ ignited some sense of hope in her that their friendship hadn't fallen entirely to the wayside yet.

"Well, I suppose I should be getting back to my office," Sharon sighed as she grabbed her purse off the floor next to her. "We both have long days ahead of us, I'm sure. Thank you again, for well, everything," she said.

Andrea nodded. "Yes. Of course."

Sharon stood and nodded at Andrea. She wasn't sure whether to shake her hand or hug her or simply turn around and leave. She felt as though some gesture of affection was appropriate given the circumstances, but she couldn't bring herself to touch Andrea. Instead, she flung her purse over her shoulder and wrapped her arms around herself as she waited for Andrea to respond.

Andrea stood up from her chair, but did not move from behind her desk. "I'm glad you called me, Sharon. I'm really, truly happy that I could help Rusty. Will you please keep me up to speed with how things are going? Uh, with uh, with Rusty, of course," she muttered, stumbling over her own words.

Sharon nodded her head as she walked to the door. "Sure thing, Andrea."

"I'd like to know that he's safe, and happy, and if there is anything else that I can do to help him," Andrea said quietly as she watched her go.

Sharon paused in the doorway as she contemplated Andrea's words. She looked back at Andrea and allowed a weak smile to cross her face as she nodded to the younger woman and departed. Seeing Andrea this morning was the first thing that had made her feel anything close to happy in days.


	9. Chapter 9

Andrea heard the clicking of high heels down the hallway as she shut her laptop down and closed it. She thought for sure she was the last one in the office; everyone else usually left as soon as they could on Friday evenings. Thinking it was someone who had simply come back for a forgotten item, she ignored the clicking and focused on the items in front of her. She draped her blazer over one arm as she collected the paperwork she needed to go over for her case on Monday morning and placed it carefully in her briefcase, along with her laptop and her cell phone. As she stepped out from behind her desk, the vision of Sharon standing in her doorway startled her.

"What the hell?" She half shouted, half squeaked as she jumped back, not expecting to see anyone at her door, much less Sharon Raydor.

Sharon couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. It had always amused her to no end when Andrea's voice went up an octave in surprise or excitement; she hadn't heard it do that in a long while. "Sorry I scared you," she apologized, doing her best to stifle her laughter. "I wanted to catch you before you left for the weekend."

"Well, I'm here," Andrea sighed, "I hate that. I have always hated that. You know that," she said quietly, blushing slightly as she spoke.

"Hate what?" Sharon asked innocently, resting her hands on her hips as she leaned against the doorframe, her index finger catching on her badge.

Andrea stared down at the badge on her hip and rolled her eyes. Andrea had always found it most attractive when Sharon's badge was balanced on her hip to complement a well fitting pair of trousers, or better yet, a pencil skirt like she was wearing this evening. "When you sneak up on me. You're so good at it," she chided, shaking her head at Sharon.

Sharon smiled, a bit sadly, at the reminder of how close they'd once been. "Um, I wanted to update you on the situation with Rusty and Daniel."

"Oh, did everything go well?" Andrea smiled, genuinely interested. She set her briefcase down on her desk, not intending to go anywhere any time soon now that Sharon had dropped by. She had contemplated calling Rusty herself to check up on him, but she'd been unsure if such a phone call would be welcome; she feared that such an action might make Rusty feel uncomfortable.

"Yes. He signed away his rights with no problem yesterday. Rusty will be staying with me, permanently, for the foreseeable future." Sharon was grinning from ear to ear as she shared the news with Andrea; there was no way she could hide her happiness from the younger woman.

"Sharon, that's...I'm so happy for both of you," Andrea said; she too was grinning.

"I thought for a moment that Daniel was going to put up a fight, but he didn't. He just...walked away." Sharon walked in to the office a little further, but didn't approach Andrea's desk. "You know, I'm heartbroken for Rusty. A boy that wonderful and talented and intelligent... he has such a good heart... he doesn't deserve parents who just threw him away. But god am I glad that Daniel Dunn walked away Andrea. I am so thankful that he gave up without much of a fight."

"I can't even imagine the dilemma you must have been in," Andrea said honestly. "But he has a loving parental figure now. I have no doubt that you will give Rusty the guidance and love that he deserves, Sharon. You've always been a good mother."

Sharon smiled sweetly at Andrea, the pink in her cheeks deepening as she silently accepted the compliment. Sharon crossed her arms over her chest and studied Andrea's bookshelf, unsure of what to do with herself now that she was here, alone in the office with Andrea. Coming over to thank her had seemed like a good idea when she'd thought of it, but Sharon hadn't exactly thought through the logistics of being alone with Andrea again.

Sharon studied the rows of legal texts and framed photographs of Andrea with various members of her family as she contemplated what else to say to the DDA. When she got to the third row of the bookshelf, that's when she spotted it; a framed photo of Andrea, herself, Gavin and Gavin's partner David, taken two years ago at Gavin and David's 10th anniversary party. It was a happy photo- they all had their arms around each other and David was kissing Gavin's cheek, while Sharon was laughing in to Andrea's shoulder. "God, I didn't realize you still had this." Sharon smiled as she picked the photo up and ran her hand over it, clear memories of the night replaying in her head.

She and Andrea were close then. So close in fact that the photo looked like it consisted of two couples, not one couple and two friends.

"Of course I still have it," Andrea said simply. "That was a magnificent evening, spent with three of my best friends. That's one of my favourite photos, ever."

Sharon looked at the photo and then at Andrea, and smiled sadly as she set it back down in its place. "We danced like idiots that night. Do you remember when I broke my shoe?" She tried to conjure the happy memories from the evening, but the thought that she _had_ been one of Andrea's best friends, and no longer was, was hitting her hard.

"I do remember when you broke your shoe," Andrea laughed quietly, then pursed her lips, "I also remember when you fell asleep on me in the taxi. You were so exhausted, Gavin and I carried you inside your condo," she recalled fondly.

"Oh god, I remember, and I woke up in the elevator, and panicked because I couldn't recall getting in the elevator and I caused us all to topple over on the floor," Sharon said as she buried her face in her hands in shame. "That was _so_ embarrassing."

Andrea paused to look out the window of her office so she didn't have to look at Sharon. Recalling these memories should be fun; instead it just hurt.

Sharon watched Andrea carefully, noticing how she had tensed as they talked more and more about that evening. She wanted so badly to reach out to the younger woman, to embrace her or hold her hand. But Andrea had made it very clear that she didn't want to see Sharon outside of work, as it was, seeing her after official hours was risky. There was no way that Sharon was going to risk doing anything else to make Andrea uncomfortable.

After a long pause, Andrea finally spoke. "I miss my friend," she said quietly. She turned around to look at Sharon. "I miss the way things were."

Sharon worried the skin of her lip with her teeth. She opened her mouth, intent on replying, but then shut it; she shook her head and bit her lip again. "I'll let you get home now, I'm sure you've got a whole weekend to look forward to," she said; her voice quivered slightly.

Before Andrea could call her out on her blatant cowardice, Sharon retreated out of Andrea's office, leaving her alone once more. Andrea dabbed at the corner of her eyes in frustration; she would _not_ get tearful in her office.

"Fuck you Sharon," Andrea muttered under her breath as she gathered her things and marched out of her office.

Sharon snuggled deeper under her heavy duvet as she attempted to relax her overactive mind. She'd never had trouble sleeping after long and exhausting days before, but tonight, rest escaped her.  
She couldn't get Andrea's face out of her mind. She couldn't get rid of the heavy guilt that sat low in her belly. And above all, she couldn't get rid of the loneliness that seemed to consume her.

_"I miss my friend," she said quietly. She turned around to look at Sharon. "I miss the way things were."_

Sharon hugged the duvet tightly as snippets from her conversation with Andrea earlier in the day assaulted her mind. She missed her friend too, she missed the easy banter that she had with the younger woman, the instant understanding and mutual respect, she missed how warm and comfortable she always felt around Andrea. She missed staying up and watching movies with her, or spending entire evenings cooking with her, she missed Andrea's laughter, her smile, her embrace, her kiss.

The more she thought about their one evening together, and then her subsequent actions, the heavier the guilt felt inside of her. She didn't deserve a friend like Andrea; she certainly didn't deserve a lover like her. Andrea had been the one constant in Sharon's life the past several years, the one person she could always rely on, the one person that Sharon knew would never abandon her. Her desire to keep her close, to keep her as that one constant, had blinded her and had hurt Andrea in immeasurable ways. In her vain attempt to keep their relationship static, she'd destroyed it almost completely.

Seeing Andrea with Rusty when the three of them had gone out to dinner had broken her heart and made it soar at the same time. Instead of running away from dealing with an emotionally complicated teenager, Andrea had embraced Rusty with a warmth and an open heart; something that her husband had never truly done with their own children. Andrea had joked with Rusty and taken an interest in his hobbies, and had treated him with respect, even after weeks of being treated less than respectfully by Sharon. Her cheeks burned hotly in shame and regret. During the course of their initial separation, Jackson had been so angry with her and had taken it out on their kids; Sharon had subconsciously expected the same sort of behaviour from Andrea.

Sharon sat up in bed and flicked the lamp light on her nightstand on. She located her cell phone, then paused. A phone call this late would certainly be unwelcome, a text might set off an alert on Andrea's phone; Sharon settled on sending her an email.

**_Sharon Raydor_**  
_to: Andrea Hobbs_

Andrea,

I cannot ever apologize enough for my actions these last few months. Nor can I ever hope to undo the hurt that I've caused you. But please know that I too miss my friend, I too miss the way things were between us.

I never meant to hurt you; I only ever meant to protect myself from my own foolish fears. I realize now that my fears were unwarranted, and that I was both completely selfish and unfair to you. I cannot ask for your forgiveness because I don't know that I truly deserve it, but I ask that you please take this admission as the truth.

Sharon 

Sharon let out a ragged breath as she hit the "send" button and watched as the brief email disappeared into Andrea's inbox. With shaking hands, she placed her cell phone on the duvet in front of her, gathered her legs and wrapped her arms around them, and waited. She couldn't help but crave an immediate response now that she had finally mustered up the courage to open a discussion with Andrea.

Ten minutes went by.

Fifteen.

Thirty.

As Sharon watched the time change on the display screen of her phone, her heart sank. It was too late. Andrea wasn't waiting around for Sharon's email, there was no way she'd give Sharon a chance to properly explain herself now; Sharon had been a fool to think otherwise.

Moments later, her phone chirped and the screen glowed, indicating that an email had just come through.

**_Andrea Hobbs_**  
_to: Sharon Raydor_

Sharon,

I've debated over whether I should even be sending this to you, you've made your intentions and your feelings regarding me and our former friendship explicitly clear these last few months, and I've made my feelings quite clear to you recently.

Five months ago, I lost a friend. She was intelligent and kind, she had a wonderfully dry and sometimes even quirky sense of humour, she was an excellent cook, a fabulous mother, and she was never afraid of any challenge life threw her way. She made me laugh, she supported me professionally and personally, and I swear that at times, she could even read my mind. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and her compassion and patience only further added to her beauty. I even had one chance to experience something beyond friendship with her, and it was directly after that incident, that she walked right out of my life. I lost my best friend. I lost my lover. I lost the woman that I have tried, rather unsuccessfully, to tell myself that I wasn't in love with.

I love you Sharon. And I know that you feel something akin to love for me too, I can feel it when you let your guard down, when you risk looking at me in a crowded room. But above all I know that you're terrified to trust anyone, but I don't know what to do other than swear over and over again that I would never betray you. I can't ever change what you've been through, but I can promise that I would never put you through that a second time.

I can't help how I feel about you. And I don't want to. But I'm also tired of playing this game. I'm tired of pretending that I don't love you. I'm tired of trying to find ways to fill the gap that you left in my life. I'm tired of sleeping alone because we're both too fucking stubborn and/or petrified to get our acts together. I'm tired of running from you.

My mind is made up. I need you to make yours up, because Sharon, I can't keep doing this.

Andrea

Sharon stared at the screen, completely taken aback. She'd read and reread the email at least five times before she began to take any of it in. Did she love Andrea? Yes, she knew deep down that she loved Andrea, desperately, with everything in her. To see Andrea's words, to see it all out loud and messy, it terrified her, but it also felt like a release. That knot of guilt reasserted itself in Sharon's belly. It had taken Andrea great strength to get that all out, she knew that; and she couldn't even admit it to herself out loud, much less put her feelings for Andrea down in any coherent way.

After a few long moments lost in thought, she wiped the tears that had collected around her eyelids and hastily typed out a response.

**_Sharon Raydor_**  
_to: Andrea Hobbs_

Tomorrow. 12:30 pm. The Ivy.

Sharon

P.S. I think the reason why I am so terrified lately is because I too have lost someone recently; she always held my hand whenever I got scared. 


	10. Chapter 10

Sharon sat at a corner table in the back of The Ivy restaurant, staring at the hem of the crisp, linen tablecloth in a vain effort to keep herself still as she waited for Andrea to show up. It was nearly 12:30 pm, but she had no idea of knowing whether Andrea was actually going to come to lunch or not; Andrea hadn't responded to her email. Sharon was fighting the urge to call or text her, when a flash of blonde hair caught her attention. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Andrea approach the table wearing Sharon's very favourite pair of snug dark jeans and a casual light blue button down top.

"Hi," Sharon said nervously as Andrea stopped right in front of the table and looked Sharon in the eye.

"Hi," Andrea said, she sounded just as nervous as Sharon felt. "May I sit?" she asked politely.

"Oh yes, please," Sharon said, gesturing to the chair across from her. Once Andrea was seated, Sharon spoke again. "Thank you for coming. I...I wasn't sure if you would," she admitted.

Andrea nodded. "I wasn't sure at first if I _should_, given how things have been lately."

"What changed your mind, if you don't mind me asking?" Sharon inquired quietly. She sat on her hands as she waited for Andrea to answer; she didn't know what to do with them.

"I meant it...um, what I said in my email," she said as she anxiously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I meant all of it."

"I'm...glad," Sharon said. She sighed. "I'm sorry, this is difficult for me. I...I'm not used to feeling so out of control."

"Do I make you feel out of control?" Andrea asked carefully.

"Yes," Sharon said quietly. "You make me want to burn every literal and metaphorical rulebook," she said, grinning slightly.

"That is possibly the most romantic thing I think you've ever said to me," Andrea said, returning Sharon's grin. She decided to take a chance and reach for Sharon's hands, which had moved out from under the table and were fidgeting with the menu on the table. "You make me feel out of control too," she said softly as she caressed Sharon's nervous hands.

Sharon let out a nervous, breathy chuckle. She accepted Andrea's hand and traced the younger woman's knuckles with her thumb.

"I can't lie, Andrea... though I think you already know that this, all of it, it scares me," Sharon said seriously, squeezing Andrea's hand. "I do have feelings for you. I have feelings for you I wasn't sure I could have for another person ever again. But I also don't like feeling out of control, I never have. And at the same time I can't deny that I miss you. And, I regret my actions following that evening. I was cold and insensitive to you, I didn't stop to think how my rejection might hurt you and I am so, so sorry for the hurt that I've caused you. Not only was that a terrible way for me to react as your lover, but it was an inexcusable way for me to act as your close friend. I can't ask your forgiveness because I don't think I deserve it, what I would like to boldly ask of you, if you could, is that you give me a second chance," Sharon asked softly, her words were a bit rushed. She was afraid that if she didn't get it all out, she'd blow this chance at making peace with Andrea.

"What exactly do you want a second chance at Sharon?" Andrea asked. "Please, be clear with me, you owe me at least that."

"I want a second chance at first being your friend. And then...something more. I did mean it when I said that I valued our friendship, I still mean that. But, I've realized that my fear of losing you as a solid presence in my life is what has actually pushed you out of it these last few months. I've missed you. The truth is Andrea, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I think about you everyday, I have _always_ thought about you everyday. I'm tired of running away from what might happen between us, and I'm ready to rebuild what we had, and to start growing into something more, together, slowly. If...if you'll have me that is," Sharon said.

Andrea stared at their hands as Sharon continued to rub the top of hers with her thumb. She was torn; it was better than the last five months of excuses, but it still wasn't an _I love you_. Finally, with a sad sigh, she looked back up at Sharon.

"I can give you another chance. But I can only give you one, Sharon, and if you walk away from me again, we cannot be friends. We cannot be anything. I am not confused about my feelings for you. I know that I love you. I know that I want more from you. I cannot _just_ be your friend. I can give this relationship some time, and I can give you the space you need to grow and feel comfortable, but I can't play this game of charades with you any more..." Andrea watched her carefully as she contemplated her next question. "Sharon...I need to know if I am right in my assumption that you love me too, beyond friendship. I need to know, even if you're terrified of it."

Sharon squeezed Andrea's hand and brought it up to her lips. "I do," she said softly. At the look of both relief and joy that washed over Andrea's face, Sharon repeated herself. "I do, I love you. I love you so much that I realize now how incomplete my life has been without you in it lately. For the longest time, I just couldn't admit to myself that I had fallen in love with my best friend. I'm sorry, this isn't…" she paused, frustrated, "I don't know if this is coming out right," she said, a bit tearfully. "Putting things that are so complex and overwhelming into words...it's...hard for me sometimes."

Andrea nodded her understanding. "I don't need you to be eloquent with me Sharon, I just need you to be honest."

Sharon took a deep breath. "Honest? Honestly, I think I've loved you before we even became friends. When I met you, it was like everything just stopped for a second, I could hardly breathe. Being near you became addictive. When….when I heard that you'd been shot, my god Andrea, it was like everything stopped again. And it wasn't just that I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even feel my own body, I just needed to be near you. I needed to _feel_ you." Sharon cleared her throat and blinked back the beginnings of tears. "If I could go back and change the way I reacted, if I could have removed all my fears, and just stayed in bed with you that morning, I would. Being with you, in your arms, was the happiest I had been in a very, very long time," she said softly.

Andrea ducked her head to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I would have kept you there, all day. I wanted you to stay so badly Sharon. I felt so cold when you left; I was so angry with you, for so long. "

Sharon squeezed Andrea's hand and rained kisses across Andrea's knuckles. "I am so sorry," she repeated.

Andrea regarded her carefully. "I want you back in my life Sharon, as my friend and as something more. I can't keep doing this, I can't keep pretending that I'm happier without you around. I am willing to try this, again."

Sharon let out a sigh of relief. "Okay," she said shakily. "Okay," firmer this time, "I want to try very hard to make things up to you. I know that I can't change how I reacted, or what I said, but I want you to know that I won't ever do that again. I promise you." Sharon was still holding Andrea's hand close to her lips, she felt the fingertips of Andrea's hand ghost along her jaw and she bent her head to kiss them again.

"Alright," Andrea said slowly. "So, a new beginning for us then?"

Sharon nodded. "A new beginning with a particular mindfulness of our past."

"And we do this honestly," Andrea clarified, "if we're uncomfortable or afraid or upset, we talk about it. We do this slowly, we do this right."

"Absolutely," Sharon promised. "I would like to go back to our weekly get togethers, if you are alright with that?"

"Yes," Andrea said quickly. "I know that Rusty is a part of your life now..." she trailed off, then took a deep breath before continuing. "I care about him, not just as a witness that I have to be in constant contact with. He's a brilliant kid, he's so sweet and he's found home for the first time with you and...I want him to be okay with this too," she said softly.

"He and I haven't discussed my personal life very much. I haven't had much of one lately though. I'll talk to him," Sharon said.

"I don't want to cause any discomfort for him," Andrea muttered, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"No," Sharon said seriously, shaking her head. "What did we just say about honesty? I will talk to Rusty and ease him into things. Can we please have dinner together, the three of us, next week?" Sharon looked at Andrea hopefully, smiling softly at her.

"Yes," Andrea laughed quietly, shaking her head.

"What? What are you laughing at?" Sharon asked nervously, adjusting herself in her chair.

"This. Everything. Us. I just feel so relieved. I have missed you so much, Sharon."

"I have missed you, too, Andrea. More than I can begin to say," Sharon said.

As the waiter approached the table to take their orders, Andrea couldn't help but smile to herself. Sharon did not drop her hand in favour of folding her own in her lap. She did not act embarrassed or irritated at being caught holding Andrea's hand. Instead, she continued to hold her hand across the table as they ordered, ate, and sipped their coffees for the remainder of their afternoon date.

For the first time in months, Andrea felt like her life might just return to something normal, and she dared to think, even happy, very soon.


	11. Chapter 11

"Come in," Andrea muttered in response to the knock at her door without looking up from her work. She caught a whiff of familiar perfume and grinned.

Sharon seated herself across from Andrea with a smile; she placed a steaming cup of coffee on Andrea's desk. "Thought you could use it, I heard that the coffee maker in your lunchroom broke down. Perhaps someone has been overusing it?" Sharon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Andrea said indignantly.

"Mmhmm, does everyone in the DA's office consume a dozen cups of coffee a day like you?" Sharon teased.

"I do not consume a dozen cups of coffee a day. Sometimes I have tea," Andrea replied.

Sharon simply gave her a knowing look.

"I do appreciate it though, thank you. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to make a coffee run. I was going to grab lunch in a few minutes, if you have time?" Andrea asked hopefully.

It had been a few days since they'd reconciled, they had enjoyed their lunch in silence and then returned to Andrea's place for coffee and a lengthier discussion. Andrea had bid Sharon goodbye that afternoon with a lingering kiss and an overwhelming sense of hope for their future.

"My pleasure," Sharon said softly. "I do need to get back to my office, but I wanted to deliver that in person. May I take you up on your offer some other time? I have a meeting with Provenza and Taylor in fifteen minutes," she said sadly. "But trust me, I'd much rather have lunch with you."

"Of course," Andrea said easily. She felt a delicious warmth spread out from her chest to her limbs as Sharon voiced her pleasure at doing something as mundane as fetching coffee for her, and as she voiced her desire to spend time with her. "I'm sorry about your meeting. Hopefully Provenza won't allow Taylor to talk for too long," she said with a dry chuckle.

"Oh, I doubt that even Provenza can hold him back. I'm really sorry that I can't stay longer Andrea," she repeated.

Andrea waved her apology off. "I understand. Duty calls." She gave Sharon an easy smile which Sharon returned.

"Have a good day," Sharon said as she rose and walked towards Andrea's door again.

"I will now, thank you."

Sharon was putting the finishing touches on dinner for herself and Rusty when her phone rang. She turned rested her wooden spoon against the top of the pot of soup and searched for her phone in her purse.

"Hi," Sharon greeted Andrea warmly. She didn't need to check her caller ID to know who was calling.

"Hi. Am I interrupting dinner?" Andrea asked nervously.

"No," Sharon balanced her cell on her shoulder and stirred the soup again, "I'm just making it now. We're having soup. Rusty's been feeling under the weather so I thought vegetable stew might be good for him."

"I'm sorry he's feeling sick. You should make him some tea, if he'll drink it."

"Already have. I have to add a ridiculous amount of honey to it for him to drink it, however," Sharon said.

"The kid has a sweet tooth," Andrea chuckled. She filed that bit of information away for later; she'd have to shuffle through her recipe book sometime and see if she had anything that called for honey.

Sharon hummed in response. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Oh, nothing much. I only just got home a few minutes ago. I'm thinking of having take-out for dinner. I really can't be bothered to cook tonight. But maybe I'll have a bath first. I don't know. It was a _long_ day. I can't think clearly anymore," Andrea sighed.

Sharon turned the burner on the stove down and covered the pot of stew. "Have a bath first, take a glass of wine with you and just soak in the tub for a bit. It will help," Sharon said. "Do you want to talk about today?"

"No. I just want to listen to your voice for a bit, if that's okay?" Andrea asked softly.

"Of course it's okay," Sharon replied; she heard the sound of running water and smiled to herself as she pictured Andrea getting the tub ready. "What did you feel like ordering for dinner?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead, maybe Thai?" Andrea chuckled. "Or sushi. It's been forever since I've had either. Maybe I'll order both."

Sharon shuffled through a drawer in her kitchen and located the take-out menus for both the local Thai and Japanese restaurants. "Sounds like a good plan," she said absentmindedly as she skimmed the menu, looking for the meals that Andrea preferred.

"Can you hold on for a second? I need to put my phone down so I can get undressed," Andrea said.

Sharon blushed fiercely. "Oh, um, of course." She rolled her eyes at herself for her reaction. She could head the sound of a zipper being pulled down, the soft swosh of fabric hitting the floor, and then the sloshing of water and Andrea's sighs.

"Still there?" Andrea asked.

"Yes," Sharon practically squeaked. Her overactive mind couldn't help but picture a very beautiful, very naked Andrea in the tub. Ever since reconciling, she'd started giving herself permission to give into her daytime musings about Andrea. It was a bit overwhelming to finally think of Andrea as the woman that she was committed to after denying herself any thoughts about Andrea in a romantic capacity for so long.

"You were right, I'm starting to feel better already," Andrea moaned as she tilted her head back and submerged her entire torso under the hot water and dense bubbles.

"I'm very glad," Sharon said, her voice was low and rough.

"How was your day?" Andrea asked sweetly. Her cheeks burned delightfully at the sound of desire in Sharon's tone. It felt insanely good to be desired by the woman she loved.

"Eventful, but not overwhelmingly so. My highlight was seeing you," Sharon said shyly.

"I'm glad. That was my highlight too," Andrea said.

"I'm glad," Sharon said lamely, then blushed in embarrassment. Finding the right words were still difficult for her. "I mean, I'm glad that I could make you happy. I want that, I want to make you happy Andrea. I want to make things up to you."

"You do," Andrea said encouragingly. It was the truth, the last several days she'd walked around with a sense of peace and happiness that had been absent from her life for far too long.

"You make me happy too," Sharon said breathlessly. "I love you." It was only the second time that she had voiced those words; but it felt a little easier than before. They felt more familiar on her tongue, like they were starting to make their home there.

"I love you too. I wish you were here with me. In the tub," Andrea admitted. "I just want to hold you, if I could hold you right now I'd be perfectly happy."

"I'd like that," Sharon said warmly, "I'd massage your neck for you."

"Oh god," Andrea moaned, "if you did that I might never let you leave," she teased.

"Sharon, when are we having dinner?" Rusty poked his head out of his room to inquire.

Sharon checked on the stew again. "Ten minutes," Sharon replied; she heard Rusty close his door again.

"I should let you get back to Rusty," Andrea said, though not unhappily.

"Okay. You're still coming over tomorrow for dinner, right?" Sharon asked.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Andrea confirmed. "Enjoy your evening Sharon," she said softly.

"You too," Sharon said.

Andrea smiled to herself as she carefully tossed her cell onto the counter. Each conversation with Sharon got a little easier. Each affectionate gesture, each declaration of love, felt a little more natural. She was both surprised and grateful at how far they'd come in the last little while. She sighed happily as she thought about their dinner plans for tomorrow evening; this would be her first official dinner with both Sharon and Rusty as Sharon's significant other and she was both elated and a little bit nervous.

As the water started to cool, and her fingertips started to prune, Andrea exited her tub and let the water drain. She wrapped a fluffy robe around her skin, which had turned pink from the heat of the water, and shuffled into her kitchen to contemplate where she might order her dinner from. She was pouring over the take-out menu for a Japanese place around the corner from her home when there was a knock at her door. She tightened the knot of her robe and answered her door.

"Good evening, Ms. Hobbs?" A young delivery boy greeted her with a smile and a bag of food in his outstretched hands.

"Uh, yes, thank you," she said as she grabbed the bag from him. "Um, just give me a moment?"

"Oh, don't worry, it's been paid for and I've been tipped already. Have a good night," he said before retreating.

Andrea stared at the bag in stunned silence. She locked her door and went back to her kitchen; she smiled as she unpacked a tray of sushi and a small container of miso soup. Knowing that only one person could have arranged to have dinner sent to her, she grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text, not wanting to interrupt Sharon and Rusty during dinner with a phone call.

_That was insanely thoughtful of you. Thank you for making my day._

Surprisingly, she received a reply just moments later.

_Rusty and I are making pad thai for you tomorrow night. Enjoy the sushi. xo _

Andrea chuckled and risked sending one last text.

_I will. And you ordered my favourite! Can't wait for tomorrow. Love you. _

For the rest of the evening, Andrea wore a ridiculous grin on her face.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey, Andrea," Rusty muttered nonchalantly as he opened the front door for the blonde.

She was holding an apple pie in her hands, Sharon's favourite. She was dressed in a pair of dark bootcut jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt that hugged her curves, a casual black cardigan thrown over it. "Hey yourself," she smiled at him as she entered Sharon's condo, immediately heading to the kitchen to set the dessert down and greet the Captain.

They'd settled into a routine the last few weeks; Andrea came over on Friday or Saturday evenings for dinner and Rusty, who had grown quite fond of her, and Sharon would clamour for her attention at dinner. Rusty would eventually retreat to his room, leaving Andrea alone to spend some time with Sharon on the couch. Andrea always went home at the end of the evening out of respect for Sharon who was easing into the rhythm of being in a relationship again, and for Rusty, who they were always mindful of.

"We started reading Macbeth in our literature class today," he informed her as he courteously hung her coat and handbag up in the closet.

"Oh, did you?" Andrea smiled as she bent down to kiss Sharon, who was stirring...something... in a big bowl, on the cheek. Andrea had always been better at baking than cooking, so she often left the dinners to Sharon, while she took care of dessert. She glanced down into the bowl to see an array of ingredients and smiled. She had no idea what it was, but it looked delicious. "Macbeth is one of my favourites. How long will you be studying it for?"

"A week. My teacher makes us sit in a circle and read the lines out loud. I'm reading the part of Macduff, he's a pretty cool character so far," Rusty mused, as he sat at the bar so that he could talk to Andrea while she began to help Sharon in the kitchen.

"I'm making enchiladas, can you grab a baking dish, please?" Sharon requested as she continued to mix peppers, onions, tempeh, and a host of other vegetables with a green sauce in the purple, glass bowl in front of her.

"Enchiladas and apple pie?" Rusty questioned as he watched the two women work side by side. Andrea had already grabbed the tortillas and cheese and began stuffing the enchiladas while Sharon continued to chop and mix and shred.

"We didn't talk this morning, we were both swamped at work and couldn't coordinate the meal," Sharon laughed as she moved away from Andrea to rinse her hands at the sink, "and you better watch it, you don't have to have dessert if you've got any complaints about the way it mixes with dinner."

Rusty just looked skeptically at the two of them before grabbing the place settings and dishes and arranging them on the dining room table. He put wine glasses for Andrea and Sharon and a regular glass for himself next to the plates and cutlery at each setting.

"Rusty has some exciting news," Sharon prompted. She gave Rusty an encouraging smile.

"Oh?" Andrea turned around and regarded him excitedly. "What's up?"

"I made chess team captain," he said bashfully, "I'm in charge of team morale, making sure we all show up to our weekly practices, stuff like that," he said.

"Rusty that's amazing! Two Captains under one roof, huh?" she said as she winked at him.

Rusty laughed at her and shook his head gently. "Yea, something like that," he muttered as he finished setting the table, placing a napkin next to each of their plates. "Did you close that murder case yesterday, Andrea? The one you've been working on all week?"

Andrea nodded her head as she leaned against the counter next to Sharon. She really wanted to wrap her arms around the older woman, but she afforded her her space; she didn't want to rush things or make Sharon feel smothered, or make Rusty feel uncomfortable, so she settled for standing close to her. She hoped that as they got more comfortable with each other, and with Rusty around them, that they'd settle into being more physically affectionate. "I did. I won." She smiled, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. "I managed to secure a second degree murder conviction, 30 years, to be served starting immediately."

"Andrea, that's fantastic," Sharon smiled up at Andrea as she slid the enchiladas into the oven, "Congratulations!" She grasped Andrea's forearm and afforded her a wink. "Though, I knew you'd win it."

Andrea grinned at Sharon. It meant everything to her that she was so openly supportive of her work, and that she vocalized her pride in what Andrea did. "Thank you," she said warmly, "Do you have any of the white I brought over last week?" she asked, "I think it'll go nicely with this."

Sharon nodded. "Yes, it's in the fridge still. I'll have some too, please."

They moved about the kitchen with an easy flow; readjusting to this, the weekly dinners, the time spent cooking and laughing together, had been much easier than either woman had predicted it would be. And instead of hindering the rhythm between them, Rusty only added to it. He was thoughtful and curious and quite a decent cook for a boy his age. They dined in more often than they dined out so that the three of them could have the shared experience of cooking for one another and trying new recipes, and discovering new things.

In no time at all, the meal was ready and served in their respective dishes. Andrea had poured both herself and Sharon half a glass of the chilled Riesling while Rusty had helped himself to a soda from the fridge. All three of them settled into an easy discussion while they enjoyed their meal.

"You know, if we get really good, we may get to play against out of town schools too. Like high schools in Northern California and stuff," Rusty said, in respect to his chess team's prospects, "And we might even get to travel for the tournament," he said, he eyed Sharon carefully to gauge her reaction.

"Well, we'll have to see about that," Sharon said, her tone and expression were both neutral. "It's a big maybe right now, so, if it becomes a certain possibility we will discuss it."

Rusty looked at Andrea. "Wouldn't it be so cool Andrea? To get to go to a tournament at another school?" he pressed. Maybe he'd have better luck with her.

Andrea raised her eyebrow at Rusty, she knew exactly the game he was playing at. "Well, it certainly sounds like it would be a great experience. But I agree with Sharon, it's a big maybe right now."

Rusty scoffed, "You're always telling me about how you travelled all over the place after school," he reminded her.

Andrea blushed guiltily as Sharon shot her a glare.

"Andrea was older than you are now," Sharon said.

"Yeah, by less than two years," he reminded her. Andrea had told him about the year she'd taken off between finishing high school and starting college so that she could backpack across Europe, as well as her study abroad experience in university. He was both fascinated, and envious, of her experience. "Her parents let her go all over the place unsupervised, and then when she did finally go to school, they sent her to _Italy_."

Sharon laughed quietly and rolled her eyes at Rusty. It made her smile that Rusty thought of her as his 'parent' now without hesitation, but this argument was moot. "Yes, they did. And I still question their parenting skills for that. I can only imagine how much trouble she must have gotten into over there," she smirked at Andrea, referring silently to a few of the stories Andrea had shared with only her about Europe.

Andrea jumped in quickly to smooth things over, doing her best to give Rusty a stern glance, "Sharon hasn't said no, Rusty, and neither have I. When you make it that far, I'm sure she'll reconsider... but for now lets drop Europe before you get _me_ in trouble with the boss, okay?"

Rusty smirked to himself. He'd get the full story out of her eventually. "Sure," he said.

Sharon ran her foot halfway up Andrea's leg under the table, smirking. She'd have to bring up Andrea's travels again later after Rusty went in his bedroom. She'd heard a few of the stories, but she was convinced that she hadn't gotten the full set of tales out of Andrea yet, either. "Everyone ready for dessert?" she asked pleasantly, moving her foot as quickly as she had placed it on Andrea's leg, doing her best to redirect the conversation away from Andrea's mischief making.

"Yes," Rusty said quickly as he pushed his chair back and started grabbing their empty dishes.

Sharon winked at Andrea as Rusty walked into the kitchen, then stood and followed him so she could grab the pie Andrea had made for dessert. "Can you grab some dessert plates, please?" she asked as she cut into the pie, slicing it into equal pieces.

"Already got them." Rusty smiled, handing the small purple plates to his foster mother. "Sharon, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Rusty," Sharon muttered casually, more concentrated on dessert than any question Rusty could be getting ready to throw her way.

"Are you and Andrea, like, seriously dating? I mean, I know you said you cared about her, and you said she'd be around...I know for sure that you're kind of dating. But, I guess I just want to know if she's going to stick around for good," he asked quietly, careful not to let Andrea, who was getting the couch ready for a movie, overhear.

Sharon paused, still holding the knife in one hand. How could she answer that question? Granted, she didn't get much time alone with Andrea, and they still hadn't rekindled their sex life yet; they're made a promise to one another to work through their issues and fully gain one another's trust again before jumping into bed. No, their romance wasn't traditional, but that didn't make it any less serious. She was in love with Andrea. She wanted to be with her for as long as Andrea would have her.

"Rusty," Sharon said quietly, turning to face him so he had her full attention, "Yes. We are dating seriously and she isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but we're also transitioning from a friendship of many years to a romantic relationship. The first time we tried this, we hurt each other a lot. It happened too soon and it scared both of us; so, we're taking things slowly this time. She's not moving in anytime soon, nor are we moving in with her, but we are committed to each other." She felt the need to reassert that his stable environment was, indeed, still stable. "Right now isn't the best time to discuss this though, if you like, we can talk more fully tomorrow?" she offered.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't ask because I have an issue with her or whatever, I just wanted to know for sure I guess. We can talk tomorrow, that's cool," he said as he smiled genuinely at her.

Sharon set the knife down so she could give Rusty a quick hug; she felt the need to have him in her arms. She hated that his mother had caused so many insecurities in him, and that Rusty had any reason to doubt Andrea's presence in his life. She felt a wave of protectiveness wash over her as she squeezed him gently, then patted his back before letting him go. She knew that he wasn't one for lingering shows of affection. "Are you going to stay up and watch the movie with us, or do you have far cooler people to text message and Facebook after dessert?" she teased, messing up his hair before she turned her attention back to the pie.

"I'm going to talk to my friends and listen to music for a bit. I'd rather do that than watch you two kissing in a tree," he teased her back, accepting the plates she handed him to carry into the living room.

She scoffed at his crude joke. "Don't be silly," she said. Her heart swelled with pride and happiness for him that he could use the term 'my friends' so easily, and so often now.

"Okay, Sharon," he laughed and rolled his eyes at her as he walked into the living room. He handed Andrea her plate, then turned on his heel. "I'm going to go eat this in my room. You two enjoy the movie." He smirked at Sharon, then quickly made his way down the hall.

"That kid." Sharon shook her head as she sat down next to Andrea on the couch and grabbed the cable knit throw hanging off the back to cover herself with. She helped herself to her piece of Andrea's homemade apple pie. "Thank you for bringing this," she mumbled between bites.

Andrea grinned as Sharon devoured the dessert. "You're welcome," she said as she nibbled on her own piece. "So, what were you and Rusty whispering about in the kitchen?" she asked.

"Were your ears burning?" Sharon asked as she put the plate and fork on her coffee table. "He asked me if we were seriously dating. I told him shortly after we reconciled that I was very fond of you and that he'd be seeing you around more often. He wanted to know for sure what that meant," she explained.

Andrea set her own half-eaten dessert on the coffee table next to Sharon's plate. "Hmm, fond of me are you?" she teased as she drew Sharon's legs into her lap and began to massage her feet through the thick socks she wore.

"Very," Sharon said sweetly. She bent her legs so that she could slide closer to Andrea and tuck her head in between Andrea's neck and shoulder.

Andrea put one arm around Sharon and kissed the top of her head. "You just love me because I can bake," she whispered playfully against the auburn tresses.

Sharon giggled. "Oh yes, that's entirely it," she laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

"Sharon, the movie is starting!" Rusty called from the living room as the opening scene for _The Three Stooges_ rolled across Sharon's wide screen television. It wasn't exactly Sharon or Andrea's idea of a perfect, Old Hollywood, date night movie, but sometimes they had to compromise with a sixteen year old boy around. Sharon couldn't sit through another superhero movie and keep her sanity, so Larry, Curly, and Mo it was.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sharon chided playfully as she sauntered from the kitchen into the living room, holding two bowls of popcorn. Rusty couldn't fit on the couch with her and Andrea, so she thought it was easier to make him his own bowl rather than passing one back and forth. Usually, Andrea and Rusty ended up taking care of the pop corn on their own anyway, but it had become their tradition to make it like that, so every week, without fail, Sharon did.

Sharon plopped down next to Andrea and grabbed her usual throw blanket to cover herself with; there was rarely a time when Sharon wasn't cold, especially with Andrea and Rusty in her condo. They both liked to keep the thermostat lower than she did. Andrea propped her feet up on the coffee table and rested her arm against the back of the couch then looked at Sharon expectantly; she was waiting for Sharon to cuddle into her side as was their tradition. Taking the hint, Sharon snuggled against Andrea, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting her head against Andrea's shoulder.

"How can you not like this Sharon? This is brilliant," Rusty said as the opening scene played out before them.

Sharon chuckled against Andrea's torso. "It's not really my style of humour. I prefer more subtlety," she said, shrugging. "But my kids used to love these three clowns too. Must be a young person thing," she joked.

Rusty scoffed at her joke and turned his attention back to the screen. As the movie went on, he could see Sharon's eyes become heavy with sleep; she never made it more than halfway through a film. It was something he and Andrea liked to tease her about. As per her routine, Andrea gently removed Sharon's glasses from her face and set them down on the coffee table next to her; she gave Rusty her usual affectionate eye roll at the fact that Sharon was crashing at barely 10:00 pm on a Saturday evening. Yet, as the familiar scenes played on, Andrea began to find herself feeling drowsy too. It had been a long week. Between working overtime and her usual insomnia, she was exhausted.

Sharon always snuggled her a little bit harder when she slept; Sharon's arm was wrapped very securely around her waist now and her head was heavy on Andrea's shoulder. To afford them both more comfort, Andrea shifted Sharon's petite body so that they were laying down on the couch, with Andrea half reclined on her back and Sharon still curled around her side. She used the armrest as a makeshift pillow and rearranged the blanket around Sharon's body so that she was fully covered. If Rusty noticed their more intimate position, he didn't comment on it; he still sat facing the television screen, seemingly engrossed in the film, which suited Andrea just fine. She was far more content to turn her head and breathe in the floral scent of Sharon's shampoo and place a chaste kiss on the top of Sharon's head under the guise that Rusty wasn't paying attention.

As the ending credits rolled up the screen, Rusty looked over at Andrea and Sharon, who were both dead asleep on the couch. He didn't know when they had repositioned themselves so they were laying down, but Sharon's arm was fully wrapped around Andrea's waist and her head rested on Andrea's chest. Rusty grabbed the remote off the coffee table and hit the power button. He didn't want to wake them; he didn't quite know how to wake them. They looked peaceful. In fact, it was the most serene he'd ever seen Sharon look. Deciding it was best to leave them be, he flicked all of the lights off save for one in the entryway, made sure the front and back doors were locked, then headed down the hallway to his bedroom. He shut his bedroom door as quietly as he could, vowing to stay in there the rest of the night so not to disturb them.

The first thing Andrea became aware of was the sharp pain in her neck, the second was the warm weight that was draped across half of her body. Opening her eyes slowly, she surmised that she must have fallen asleep at some point during the movie. She rubbed her eyes and looked around; the lights in Sharon's living room were all off, as was the television. Rusty must have gone to bed and left the two of them snoozing on the couch.

"Sharon, wake up," she whispered gently as she rubbed Sharon's back. "I need you to get off of me so I can go home," she teased.

But Sharon didn't get off of her, instead, she snuggled deeper into Andrea's embrace. "Hmm?" she murmured sleepily.

"Wake up," Andrea prodded again gently.

Sharon rubbed her cheek against Andrea's neck. "But I'm having such a nice dream," she sighed. Andrea poked Sharon's side. "Oh, fine, I'm awake," Sharon pouted as she looked up at Andrea.

"Looks like I pulled a Sharon tonight," Andrea joked; she kept her voice quiet as not to disturb Rusty. "It's probably late, I should get home," she said mournfully.

Sharon unburied her arm from under the blanket to check her wristwatch. "God, it's 3:00 am," she giggled. "We've been sleeping for hours. Rusty put the movie in not long after dinner."

Andrea's heart fluttered. She'd spent the better part of their evening wrapped around Sharon and it had been heavenly; she really didn't want to have to leave Sharon but she knew that she probably should.

Sharon sat up first, she wrapped her arms around her torso and shivered slightly as Andrea sat up and pinched her sore neck. "I'm cold now," Sharon sighed, rubbing her own arms.

Andrea pulled her close to her with one arm. "I'll tuck you in and make sure you're nice and warm before I leave," she said sweetly.

"Or you could just stay and hold me for the rest of the evening, or I should say, the rest of the morning," Sharon said quietly.

Andrea pulled back slightly to regard Sharon in the dark; Andrea could see her own need reflected in Sharon's eyes. "But, I always go home," she said carefully.

Sharon leaned forward and kissed Andrea's cheek. "There's a first time for everything," she said, smiling, against Andrea's laugh lines. "It's Sunday, Rusty will make us pancakes and I'll make us coffee in a few hours. Stay with me until then, please?" she requested.

"Are you sure?" Andrea asked carefully, rubbing Sharon's hand as she waited for her answer.

"Yes. I'd like to go back to sleep. But I'd like to go back to sleep wrapped around you again. That's the warmest I've been in months," Sharon laughed, making her intentions clear as she asked Andrea to stay again.

"Okay, if you're sure. But I don't have any pajamas." Andrea smiled at Sharon as they both stood up from the couch. Sharon turned the light in the entryway off, then she squeezed Andrea's hand and walked her all the way down the hall to her bedroom.

"I think we can find you something." Sharon smiled as she switched a lamp next to her bed on and moved to her dresser, opening up one of the drawers. She pulled out a pair of silk pajama shorts and a matching tank top and tossed them on the bed. "I know you'll be warm, will you be comfortable in that, or would you like something else?"

"These are perfect," Andrea smiled softly as she investigated the set that Sharon had given her.

Sharon hummed her approval as she slid her yoga pants off and stepped into a pair of silk pajama bottoms. It was without any shyness that she lifted her sweater over her head, and unsnapped her bra, tugging it off as well. She smiled sweetly at Andrea as she tugged the silk pajama top over her head. Andrea followed Sharon's actions and divested herself of her jeans, t-shirt and bra in favour of the decadent set that Sharon had offered her. There was a warmth that permeated the air around them, neither one of them could pretend otherwise, but the desperation that once clouded their desire was replaced by a mutual sense of love, acceptance, and the undoubted fact that they were well on their way to exploring other aspects of this slow burning romance.

Andrea climbed into Sharon's bed and she immediately found the older woman settling next to her. Andrea sighed contentedly as Sharon backed her body against her, so that Andrea was spooning the petite woman. "Your bed is very, very comfortable," Andrea joked quietly as she wrapped her arm around Sharon's torso, pulling her even closer. She placed a kiss on the back of her head and nuzzled her nose into her hair, taking in the scent of Sharon's floral shampoo once again.

"Hmm.." Sharon hummed sleepily as she pushed one of her legs in between Andrea's to cuddle her closer. She wanted every part of their bodies to be as connected as they could be.

Andrea held her close, feeling her own heartbeat against Sharon's back. "Goodnight Sharon,," she muttered quietly as sleep started to overtake her again. Sharon, as usual, had already fallen asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The knock at Andrea's door caught her off guard slightly. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone, and after the day she'd had, she honestly wasn't in the mood for anyone either.

She walked over to her door, bare foot and freshly poured glass of wine in hand.

"Hi," Sharon said breathlessly as Andrea opened the door. "I know I came by unannounced, but I promise I won't take up too much of your evening," she said softly. She held out a tray of food and Andrea opened the door wider.

Her mood improved greatly as she leaned forward to kiss Sharon softly, and as Sharon wrapped one arm around Andrea's waist.

"You can take up as much of my evening as you like," Andrea sighed against the smaller woman.

Sharon pulled back from their embrace and tucked a few errant blonde strands behind Andrea's ear. "Knowing you, you haven't even begun to think about dinner yet. Let me make sure you're fed and relaxed, but then I should get home for Rusty," she said.

Andrea lead them both into her kitchen. "Of course. Is he home now?"

Sharon pulled out Andrea's dishes and cutlery and began to scope the Italian takeout into their plates. "Yes, he had a lot of homework to catch up on and I didn't want him to feel that I don't trust him to be left home alone. I do trust him, but I just feel bad leaving him alone." Sharon shrugged as she spoke.

Andrea settled her wine glass down on the table and wrapped her arms around Sharon's middle. "Forever the mother," she teased softly as she rested her head between Sharon's shoulders.

"I can't help it," Sharon huffed as she caressed Andrea's forearm. "Now sit, this is still hot. Enjoy it before it cools down."

Andrea did as she was told and dug into her meal with enthusiasm. Sharon sat opposite her, as she ate, she couldn't help but note the dark circles under Andrea's eyes.

"You're staring at me," Andrea said a while later as she pushed her clean plate away from her. "Not that I don't love having you here, but it is unlike you to come by without calling." She raised her eyebrow at Sharon.

Sharon dabbed her mouth with the serviette before speaking. "I heard about the budget cuts that the DA just approved. I also heard that DDA Michaels was encouraged to resign and is now looking to get into private law."

Andrea nodded her head sadly. "It's a mess right now. The state is broke, but that isn't slowing down the crime, we're being forced into accepting half-assed convictions and quick fixes," she ran her fingers through her hair and pinched the sides of her abnormally tense neck, "every day it's like walking on pins and needles in my office."

Sharon reached out and caressed the back of Andrea's hand. "I'm so sorry Andrea. I understand how frustrating that is, we're dealing with the same thing. You are such an asset to the DA's office, don't you doubt that for a second."

Andrea smiled warmly at Sharon and grasped her hand. "There's something else," she sighed.

Sharon nodded encouragingly. "Go on."

"The DA has recommended that another attorney be assigned to the Stroh case. He thinks that due to my close personal relationship with you, and with Rusty, that it would be inappropriate for me to pursue this case alone."

"I see," Sharon said slowly, "is the DA aware that we're…"

"No. But he knows that we've worked together for years, that we have a friendly rapport. He knows that I'm friendly with Rusty, anyone in the LAPD could see and report that. If he knew about us...I don't doubt that he'd want me off the case entirely."

Sharon's eyes widened. "Is that what you're worried about? Do you think that he'd do that?"

Andrea squeezed Sharon's hand and brought it to her lips. She felt Sharon pull her chair even closer so that she could lean into the Captain's embrace. "I don't know. Part of me hopes that he could trust my professionalism, but part of me understands that he needs to be extra careful with this one. Either way, I hate feeling like my personal life should in any way be open for inspection by my bosses," she said darkly.

Sharon kissed the top of Andrea's hair, which had now been made into a proper mess by Andrea's nervous hands. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, we'll be careful at work. Rusty knows not to talk about our lives at home with anyone, I trust him. And no one in my department knows a thing."

Andrea sighed. "That's not the point," she said sadly. "I...I don't want to have to be careful. I want to be able to bring you a coffee at work and take you out to lunch and not worry about how people might interpret that in regards to my professional life."

Sharon smiled against Andrea's hair. "I know, and I hate it too. But the trial isn't going to last forever. I promise that we'll do special things like that for each other once this is all over. When that man is behind bars for good I promise that I will deliver flowers to your office myself."

Andrea shifted in their embrace. "You'd….you'd want people at work to know about us?" she asked carefully.

"Would I want people at work to know that I am committed to a beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful, hot young blonde?" Sharon asked teasingly. "Yes. I would," she said, her tone turning very serious.

Andrea hugged Sharon tighter and buried her face in the crook of Sharon's neck. "Good," she mumbled. She blinked back a few tears, not wanting them to stain the soft skin of Sharon's neck; it was with pure joy that Andrea took in the weight of Sharon's statement.

They sat like that for a few moments, content to simply hold one another after the exhausting day that they'd both had. Regretfully, Sharon snuck a look at the clock hanging on Andrea's wall.

"How about I get a bath ready for you, and then you can get settled in bed?" she suggested.

Andrea nudged her nose against Sharon's jaw. "You just want to watch me in the tub," she joked.

"That's a perk I can't deny enjoying, but what I really want is to know that you're going to sleep soundly tonight," she said softly.

"Okay," Andrea agreed. She sighed contently as they untangled themselves from one another's arms and walked hand in hand towards Andrea's master bathroom.


	15. Chapter 15

Sharon discarded her tall, patent black stilettos as soon as she walked through the front door of her condo. She looked at her watch to see that it was already 10:30 pm and let out a small, defeated sigh. It had been another long day in the Major Crimes division, but a productive one, and Rusty was already in his bedroom, leaving the house quiet for the rest of the evening. Before she moved to the living room, she grabbed her cell phone out of her handbag and scrolled through the long list of contacts, finally selecting Andrea's name under "H". It was late, but she had promised she would call Andrea tonight to secure weekend plans. With their relationship still so new and somewhat fragile, there was no way for the call to wait until morning, even if Sharon ran the risk of waking Andrea up. She listened to the phone ring as she curled her legs up under the rest of her body on the couch, immediately hiding her slender frame under her favourite cable knit throw.

"Good evening, Captain," Andrea purred into the phone, her voice purposely deep and sultry. Andrea had obviously not been asleep yet.

Sharon rolled her eyes and covered her face with the blanket as she registered Andrea's greeting. She should have figured that now they were completely comfortable with each other again, the blonde was going to be an insufferable flirt. "Good evening, Counselor," she shot back playfully, "I didn't realize we were still using titles after we spent nights in each other's beds." Sharon kept her voice quiet to ensure that Rusty didn't overhear the conversation on the off chance that he was still awake and not listening to music as he usually did before bed.

"That was nice," Andrea replied as her mind took her back to the evening spent holding Sharon as they slept first on her couch, then properly in her bed. "But that doesn't count."

Sharon chuckled, her laughter was deep and throaty and Andrea loved it. "I didn't realize that there were certain criteria for sleeping with me to count," Sharon teased, then hummed. She had missed their playful banter more than anything during the agonizing time when they weren't speaking. To have it back, and on a more intimate level, made her happier than she could express.

Andrea sat down on her couch as well and hugged her knees to her chest as she listened to Sharon breathe. She was happy to hear from her after knowing she'd be at work late, but it made Andrea miss her all that much more. They'd seen each other at work and had even managed a quick, surprise coffee date in her office on Monday afternoon, but they hadn't spent an entire evening together since their last movie night with Rusty. Spending evenings away from Sharon and Rusty was getting to be increasingly difficult. "Oh, I loved that night, and I loved you surprising me with dinner and a bath the other night too... I'm just looking forward to many more nights spent, perhaps... not sleeping," she muttered sheepishly. She felt her cheeks burn as she blushed and then rolled her eyes at her own reaction, even though Sharon couldn't see her.

"Andrea Hobbs," Sharon chided, then laughed, "I'm sorry to call so late. I got stuck at work with a case and everyone was slammed, but we finally got it wrapped up in the eleventh hour. I was calling to see if I could still take you out on Friday night."

"Friday night still works for me, if it works for you," Andrea said quietly, doing her best to keep the overwhelming excitement out of her voice. Andrea had always had a way with women, she was always calm and cool in romantic situations and she always knew just what to say; yet somehow Sharon had managed to throw her off her game. Sharon could completely disarm Andrea with a single look, or a specific tone of voice, or a deliberate sway of her hips. It drove Andrea insane; she refused to let Sharon know just how badly she got to her for she was fearful, and admittedly enticed, of how Sharon may use it to her advantage.

"Oh, Friday still works for me," Sharon, on the other hand, couldn't keep the smile out of her voice, "and Rusty is out camping with Mike Tao and his son and a few of their other friends. They became friends at school recently and Mike offered to take Rusty out for the weekend so I could have some time for myself and so the boys could have some fun before junior prom. I'll have the place to myself all weekend, if you wanted to join me after dinner, as well..."

Andrea grinned at the irony of their reversed roles as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and her head and leaned against the back of the couch. For the duration of their friendship, Andrea had always been the one who was more open about sex. Sharon had always had a certain shyness when it came to discussing it; when they were friends she would allude to her sex life anytime Andrea would steer the conversation towards the topic, but Sharon never shared details. On the other hand, even early on in their friendship Andrea always felt comfortable talking to Sharon about any dates she went on, especially if the date had been particularly...memorable.

"I would love to join you for dinner, and I would love to spend the night with you after, Sharon. Should I pack an overnight bag, then?" Andrea asked bluntly. She wanted to be intimate with Sharon again, but she needed to know that she could count on Sharon to still be there when they woke up the next morning.

Sharon nodded to herself and swallowed, sensing what Andrea needed. "Yes. Please pack a bag. I expect you in my bed," she said playfully, "all night. We may not sleep much, but I want you there in the morning. And I may want you there the night after that, too. After all, we have the whole weekend."

"I would love that," Andrea said softly, "I want this time to be different," she admitted. "I want us both to be okay with taking this step."

Sharon paused, taking Andrea's words into serious consideration before she answered. "I'm okay. I wouldn't be okay if we didn't take this step. I need you, Andrea," she said seriously, grabbing one of her plush, floral print throw pillows to hug against her chest. It wasn't a comfortable admission for her, but she knew Andrea needed to hear it. It was her fault that things like dinner dates were no longer simple; she knew that she still had a lot of making up to do after months of running away.

"Okay," Andrea said, she let out a breath, "so we're in this for the long haul? I know we've talked Sharon, and I'm sorry if I keep asking for affirmation, but I really need you to know that if we cross that line again, I can't ever go back."

"I know honey, I won't be able to go back either," Sharon cooed. "I want you in my life as my friend, my lover, and my partner. I want to go to bed with you and wake up wrapped around you after spending the evening making love to you. And don't apologize for needing to hear that. If you need to hear it everyday then I need to say it everyday for you."

Andrea smiled and clutched her phone tighter. "I like hearing it," she admitted shyly. "I'm just...nervous," she laughed and shook her head, "is that silly?"

"No," Sharon said honestly. "I'm nervous too. I know what I want, I just, I want things to be perfect. I love you so much," Sharon's whispered fiercely.

"As long as you hold me close it will be absolutely perfect," Andrea said.

"I can do that. Promise," Sharon said, smiling at the thought of holding Andrea close to her all night long. "7:30 pm on Friday. I'm taking you to one of my favourite spots. Please wear cocktail attire. I'll pick you up."

"Alright...it's a date," Andrea joked, unable to hold her laughter in as she said it.

"God, Hobbs. Sometimes you're cheesy," Sharon laughed in response. Yes, Sharon decided, Andrea was going to continue to be an insufferable tease, and there was a part of Sharon that couldn't resist it.

"Yes...but you love me. You wouldn't have me any other way," Andrea teased, reclining on the couch as she listened to Sharon laugh.

"I wouldn't, you're right. And I do love you," Sharon said seriously. "Now, it's late and we're probably both exhausted. And we should both rest up before Friday," Sharon said silkily.

"Yes Captain," Andrea giggled. "I love you too. I'll talk to you in the morning," Andrea cooed, feeling the exhaustion from the day start to kick in for herself. She, too, often had days that were busier than she could handle in the office, with more cases than she could finish in the eight hours the city budget afforded her per shift. She looked at the stack of case files on her coffee table and rolled her eyes; they could wait until tomorrow.

Sharon couldn't help the sense of complete happiness that overtook her as she said goodnight to Andrea and made her way to her bedroom to crawl into bed. As she cuddled into her duvet her thoughts turned to Friday night and how she was going to please Andrea, rather than sleep. She would definitely have to buy a few things before the weekend rolled around.


End file.
